On Your Tail
by raelee514
Summary: When Keith and Lance meet, it's lust & love from first sight... But Lance has a past...will a past enemy and a past boyfriend cause trouble for the two before they even become the heroes they're meant to be?  How does it effect Sven and Keith's friendship?  Lance's friendship with Hunk and Pidge?
1. Chapter 1

Voltron is owned by WEP.

Yes this is Keith/Lance, see I want Keith to be loved too.

Rated T and up, because really that's just how I roll.

On Your Tail

ONE

Red lights flashed, every button on the controls panel was flashing red and beeping when he touched them, the steering controls weren't responding, Cadet Kogane clenched his jaw, he wasn't going to crash, he wasn't he would figure this out. He hit his altitude control buttons, he tried hitting his thrusters again, nothing was working, he was barreling towards the moon. He tried braking but even they weren't listening to him, something was seriously wrong - this wasn't some test that they'd programed into his ship to test his flying skills, something had truly malfunctioned in his ship and he was going to crash.

He'd already called the may-day out on his radio, that he was having troubles, that his controls had ceased to function but it was more than that. He hadn't gotten any responses from his instructor, or anyone else. Was his radio not working either, was his Galaxy Garrison supervisors unaware of his collision course with the moon?

"This is Cadet Kogane, my ship is unresponsive, I'm on a collision course to the moon, I don't think I can stop it, I..." he felt panic come up in his throat in a wave of unpleasant bile but he swallowed it down. "I'm going to have to eject. Unless you have any ideas?" he through out hopefully.

One more time going through any sequence of tries he could think of to reset his controls, to get his steering back under control, or at least his breaking. But there was nothing, he was still on collision course for the moon and no one was responding to his call.

"Kogane, wait!"

Keith was just about to pull his ejection cord when the voice came over the radio.

"I'm at your two o'clock, you have a fire on your aft-starboard engine, turn it off completely then turn it back on before trying to fire controls - these older systems are dodgy when fires happen. Learnt it the hard way myself."

Keith recognized the voice, it was McClain. The voice on the other end of the radio, who was usually egging him during every flight class, especially when Taylor had them do speed or maneuverability timed races. He'd even call out bets trying to get Keith to bet on himself, so he, McClain could cash in when he won. If he won. They were neck in neck for the top position class. Keith was surprised as hell this guy was helping him out, that it wasn't Sven his best friend and dormmate that had noticed he'd falling out of formation five minutes ago. McClain was about nothing but competition as far as Keith knew. Not that he really knew him at all, he only heard him on the radio, he never saw him on the tarmac, and if he caught a glimpse of him when they landed it was to see legs disappearing around a corner and two or three of the girls in the class, giggling and going. "That Lance." Once it had been two or three girls, around another girl crying. "That damn Lance."

But McClain was saving his ass now, because what he said was so logical that Keith was chastising himself for not thinking about it. He must've been panicking more than he thought. He'd have to work on that, panicking didn't do anyone any good in battle, he told himself, and they were training to fight in war. Maybe it wasn't a war against Earth, yet, but the Galaxy Academy was the Alliance Academy and presently, over half the planets in the Alliance were fighting the oppressive Drule Empire in some shape or form.

Keith flipped the switch turned off his engines for a split second. Then flicked it back on, the control panel in front of him stopped flashing, his steering came back online and he was able to see that he had a fire in that aft forward engine and extinguish it. Keith breathed out a relieved sigh. "Thanks McClain," Keith said, looking out his view port at McClain's ship which was now flying in formation with him.

"Didn't want my biggest competition biting the dust, don't want to be number one by default, Kogane. Want to earn it," came over the radio. "Are you still not getting the transmissions from Taylor?"

"No?"

Keith looked over his control panel, "I'm getting a lot of error messages, and she's flying really jerky," he said.

"Okay, I'll follow you back down to the tarmac and radio in what's going on, I don't think they heard anything you called in either, why I flew out of formation to check on you," McClain said.

Keith nodded, then remembered McClain couldn't see him. "Will do and thank you."

"Just got yelled at, then I informed them what happened. Hawkins just apologized to me. Do you believe it? That was epic, man, EPIC. Let's get you down before you really do have to eject."

"On your tail," Keith said.

~.~

Keith landed, relatively smoothly, though he was sure the landing looked like all his training had flown out the window. Worse, he was positive his real first landing had been better than what just happened, but the steering and breaking just weren't reacting right and it took all his focus to keep the damn ship on the runway, he couldn't make it look like a walk in the park too. No matter what he wished.

He jumped out of the cockpit, just in time to watch another fire burst forth in the aft-port engine. His eyes widened as tech crews jumped into action around him and the large hand of his instructor Taylor hit his shoulder. "Looks like you were flying some bucket of bolts, huh, Kogane. McClain, over here, I want both you to explain exactly what happened in my office as the rest of your classmates fly back in from the Little-Planet-Couldn't-Be."

Pluto, Keith thought, why couldn't anyone just call it Pluto anymore, it still had a name, even if wasn't really a planet. It was a weird pet peeve of his, he knew it bothered him more than it should. Like for instance he was ranting about it now, in his head after having an actual near death experience. He could have died out there, flying that bucket of bolts, but he was worrying about -

HOLY FUCK.

Lance McClain met them at Taylor's office door, he got there first in fact, holding his helmet between his hip and his hand, leaning against the door looking like a fashion model for a Galaxy Academy enrollment poster. He was fucking hot, completely totally hot. How had Keith never seen him before, and how did he not know the girls were saying, 'That Lance' because he was most definitely the hottest guy in the school.

And of course straight, because girls were giggling and crying and going 'That Lance.' Keith tried to get his brain working again but he found it really impossible as he took in Lance. Taylor opened the door to his office and walked in.

Lance gave him the universal look of 'Holy shit', and pointed toward Keith's ship, which was still in flames. Which is when Keith noticed he had hazel eyes, some really hypnotizing combination of brown, green and gold that Keith hadn't quite gotten the balance of right before Lance turned away. Then he was looking at a really great ass, in a really nice tight-fitting uniform and thinking that Lance was only about inch or two taller than him, but he was really lanky, so he looked really tall and he was pale and had brown-reddish hair and Keith was definitely in lust. Major Lust.

Which was bad because he was in the office now, and Major Taylor was looking right at him, like he had three heads. "Kogane, Report!" he shouted and Keith had bad bad feeling it wasn't the first time.

"Maybe he's in shock, sir," Lance said next to him. "You okay, Kogane? I told you, his radio was only working on a shortwave frequency, I went after him and I couldn't hear him or him me until was practically on top of him, sir."

Keith scolded himself, kept his attention of his instructor and started to give his report. He was as concise as he could be, factual, and blunt, it was over rather quickly. He tried not to overstate his rescue, but the stupid part of him, the part his Aunt always called his Romantic Daydreamer side was making it into some sort of heroic rescue by a knight in his head which was ridiculous. He was a guy, guys didn't need rescue from knights. Especially him. He rescued, he was training to rescue. He was a rescuer. He totally owed Lance one now and he was going to repay it if it killed him.

Taylor after Keith finished his side of the story didn't look happy, he then nodded. "McClain escort Kogane to the medical bay."

"What!" Keith exclaimed. "I'm fine, I'm fine. I wasn't hurt."

"You were alone in a failing ship, on a collision course to the moon, without communication until McClain showed up. You are being checked out for shock. McClain, don't let him talk you out not escorting him there, and I mean that McClain you skip out on this order you won't get any of the favors that would normally show up for such..."

"Heroic awesomeness? Intelligent thinking? Intelligent heroic awesome thinking?"

Taylor groaned. "Dismissed. I'll be expecting a report from whoever checks you out, Kogane and that he walked in there with you, McClain."

"Yes, sir," they both said before turning around and walking out.

Keith felt completely embarrassed now because he'd not only met the only guy in the GA who gave him any kind of challenge in his classes - besides Sven in martial arts - and he was hot as hell. The guy had already saved his damn ass and now was responsible to take him to medical bay because he might be shock. It was pathetic.

"You do like you might be in shock, you keep listing off into space," Lance said, his hand on Keith's shoulder.

Keith felt heat coil through him and then fall right to his groin. He swallowed. "I'm really fine," he said, praying he wasn't blushing.

"Sure, but you know, I want to find out what happens when a guy actually goes off and saves someone - curiosity you know and I look good in my dress uniform. And if I can make my dad's jaw drop open when I tell him they are given me a medal or an honor or something that would make my life for like a year," Lance was talking a mile a minute, Keith could just stare at his mouth and watch it move and wonder what else it could do. "So, come on... Keith right?"

"Right, yeah, Lance?"

"That's the name," Lance said leading Keith across the tarmac. The rest of their class was landing and Keith glanced over to see if he could pinpoint Sven but he didn't see him anywhere.

"Looking for someone?" Lance asked. "Boyfriend?"

"Uh, no? I don't have one, how do you know I'm gay?"

"Who doesn't know your gay?" Lance asked, shaking his head opening the door that led into the GA building.

"Oh," Keith said and thinking he wasn't really sure how he felt about that. It was kind of weird to think everyone knew and he wasn't getting harassed about it like he used to deal with back home before joining the GA. Tolerance was a big deal to the Alliance however, they were an Alliance after all of over 350 planets of different cultures. More than half of them represented in the hallways of GA. Keith supposed it made sense no one cared, or if anyone did care, they wouldn't be stupid enough to say or do anything about it. It was just he didn't like making a deal out of things and if everyone knew, that felt like a deal. "Really, everyone knows?"

"Well, your number isn't written on the bathroom wall anywhere, but I think there probably only a few freshmen girls with crushes on you that don't know - that's just a guess though. Mostly because there is always a freshman girl somewhere with a crush on an upperclass man. Like for instance, me! I swear just last week, I was in garage, hanging with my pal Hunk while he was fixing up a truck in there for one of the instructors for some extra money. And these freshman girls were in there for a tutorial on basic mechanics and one kept looking over and looking over. Finally, during a break she comes like literally skipping over. It was like she was twelve and asks me I go out with younger women."

Lance paused as he hit an elevator button, Keith found himself staring at his neck. "Did you go out with her?"

"Dude, I'm not sure she's even turned fourteen yet. Hell no. I told her I liked older women, but that she could call me in ten years. I was real charming about it anyway, she putty in my hands. I probably made the crush worse but she went back to her class smiling and I didn't make her cry."

Keith felt relief, okay some of the stories he'd heard about how Lance McClain would do anything female that batted their lashes at him that was at least somewhat pretty were probably exaggerations then.

They stepped onto the elevator. "It was nuts, and I'd just gotten totally yelled at by this girl I went on a few dates with because she wanted more, and I swear I told her I don't date. I always tell them I don't date and they always go, okay fine and then freak out on me. Girls. Anyway, so that night I went to Riff's. Hooked with the hot bartender there, the one with the tattoo of gothic lion on his forearm? Know him?"

Keith's throat went dry and he stumbled for words that didn't show his absolute shock as the guy just babbled out that he bisexual to him. "Uh, yeah, I've ordered a beer or two from him."

"He's good in the sack," Lance said arching one brow as the elevator doors opened on the floor that consisted of Medical Bay. They walked out, Lance pointed to a chair and went over the window where a receptionist was waiting.

"Keith Kogane needs to see someone about possible shock?"

Keith heard him say to the person behind the counter as he sat down. Sure he was in shock, just not from almost dying.


	2. Chapter 2

TWO

Lance pushed opened the door to the small house he lived in off the GA Academy campus. "Hunk!" he shouted as he shrugged off his jacket, dropped his backpack on kitchen table and made his way into the living room. "Hunk!" he shouted again.

"He's not home," Pidge said, lying on the floor on his back, his thick black framed glasses askew on his face, watching what looked to be a ten year old documentary of ship mecha on the television upside down. Empty soda cans and potato chip crumbs surrounded him. Lance cringed, as he took in what the seven year old had been up to. He counted up the soda cans, 1, 2...6!

"No more soda!"

Pidge stuck his tongue out at him, it was blue, Lance decided he didn't want to know. "If I am home when you are bouncing the walls at three in the morning, Pidge. Do not, I repeat do not come into my room and start talking to me about differential equations in quantum mechanics and how you think you can practically apply them to create a time machine. Do you understand me?"

"Will you stop teasing me about that, I was six, I was just a kid I didn't know time machines were just science-fiction."

"Where is Hunk?"

"I don't know."

"Where are Dai and Katie?"

"Something about the Rabbi and the Buddhist Priest and the wedding..."

Lance spent a minute to try to figure out how that was going to work, then he shook his head. "Whatever, is Hunk coming home tonight?"

"How should I know."

"Cause we aren't allowed to leave you alone at night, Shortstuff," Lance snapped. "And I hopefully have a hot date," Lance pulled out his phone.

"Whatever," Pidge muttered. "I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

"It's one the hard rules the GA Academy Chancellor gave Hunk when he took you in, and got me all wrapped up in it. Maybe Katie won't mind watching you?"

Lance pushed a button. "Are you coming home?" He watched Pidge get up and walk into the kitchen and rolled his eyes, screw it let the kid bounce off the walls all night, he could pass his classes in his sleep the little mega-genius. He listened to Hunk tell him where he was and when he expected to get home. "That's too late, oh and by the way why didn't you tell me Keith Kogane is hotter than a fucking volcano?"

"Who?" Pidge asked.

"Keith Kogane," Lance said to Pidge. "No, Hunk, you being straight does not excuse you for not telling me this, if I'd know that I would have been dawdling after flight instruction instead of running straight home - screw my turn with Pidge. Can you get home an hour earlier?"

"I can watch myself!" Pidge yelled.

"Fine, I'm calling your brother and Katie. What do you mean don't bug them they are doing wedding stuff, this is far more important, it's my sex life. Bye," Lance hung up and hit some more buttons. "Hey, Katie, baby!"

"Are you serious," Pidge said sitting back down on the floor and opening another cola.

"Yeah, Hunk's going to be late tonight and I need to get out of here by six. You two going to be home? Will you watch him? Mostly he takes care of himself, you know that..." he eyed Pidge as he shoved a mouthful of potato chips into his mouth and he realized he'd opened a new bag. "Uh, he's just like a cat, low maintenance."

"HEY!" Pidge yelled jumping up and kicking Lance in the shin.

Stifling his yowl, Lance hopped off the pain and bent down and grabbed the new bag of potato chips. "Yes? Yes, thank you Katie! Yeah, bye."

"Okay, I wasn't going to ask but why is your tongue blue?" Lance asked, putting his phone back into his jeans.

"Oh, I ate the last two boxes of sweet and sour candy that were on the kitchen table, when I got home. How come you weren't home, yet?"

"I had to take Kogane to the medbay, couldn't get out of it," Lance frowned and looked at the soda cans again, then the remnants of potato chips. "Okay, you gotta stop eating junk now. No potato chips, and no more soda," he took the can out of Pidge's hand.

"Hey, since when do you actually enforce the rules!"

"When you're one chip away from tossing your cookies and I just lied through my teeth you'd be easy to watch tonight to Katie. You're going to be a hypersonic mega-genius running around all night yammering about who knows what all night. Go brush your teeth, and if you haven't done it already do your homework or something."

Pidge rolled his eyes. "I did it in class."

"Of course you did," Lance rolled his eyes. "Fine, then go online and play one those weird games of yours."

"Whatever," Pidge mumbled and walked off.

Lance walked into the kitchen and poured out the soda left in the can, than put the remaining soda and all the junk food he could see in the cabinet Pidge couldn't reach without climbing up on the counter. They'd put a combination lock on it that so far he hadn't cracked. Hunk thought it was full proof, Lance thought it was a matter of time.

Thinking of time, he looked at the time. He was already running late and damn it he did not want to be late to meet up with Keith. He knew Keith was one of the top students in the Academy, everyone knew that. Hunk had a few other classes with him, said he was sharpest mind in every one of them except Advanced Mecha Mechanics, where Hunk was the top student. Lance knew Keith was the only one who had a chance of beating him out of the top pilot position, that was why he'd started bantering with him during class on the radio. It'd been fun, Keith ribbed him back with a dry wit that he backed up by being a damn good pilot. Lance had to admit sometimes he egged him on just to hear his voice, it was a good smooth voice and now he knew that voice had a mouth attached that looked like it'd look really good doing a bunch of things that didn't include talking.

Keith was built, his flight uniform hadn't hid anything. They were skin tight, Lance sometimes felt like a stick in his, because they didn't hide anything and he just looked skinny and tall in the mirror in the blue flight suits. Keith though looked like he was all lean muscle with broad shoulders and he had an ass Lance was tempting to try bouncing a quarter off of before he'd taken off for home.

What he did do was get a date, for tonight, because there was no way he was going to miss the chance to tap that. He started to think about what he should wear to look at his most edible as he made his way down the hall and poked his head into Pidge's small room - it'd once been a closet, but it worked for the kid. "You good?"

"Fine," Pidge muttered.

Lance sighed, the kid was pouting now great. "What?"

"I just, it's lame that's all."

"What?"

"You and Hunk, having to act like parents just because I had some issues in the dorms."

Lance rolled his eyes. "No, what was lame was a bunch of fourteen and fifteen year olds bullying five year old, Pidge. And the GA putting you in a dorm in the first place and not vetting your roommate better. And trust me Hunk and I taught them a lesson they wouldn't forget. And don't you think this place totally beats the dorms?"

Pidge nodded but then he sighed. "But what about after the wedding when Dai and Katie leave. The Garrets said they'd only keep helping us out if we found two new roommates."

"We'll figure it out, Shortstuff. Look Hunk's only going to be an hour or two late. Katie's going to watch you, so you know she'll probably let you pick the movie tonight and drive Dai crazy with whatever sci-fi classic you pick. You'll have fun, and this weekend I promise I'll take you to the new exhibit at the Science Museum."

"Yeah?" Pidge eyes lit up behind his glasses.

"Yeah, Hunk too, the three of us."

"Cool."

"I'm taking a shower soon, promise me you won't go get any junk food or soda, and did you brush your teeth?"

Pidge stuck out his tongue. It was a little less blue, Lance called it a win. "Yeah, okay, good. Behave while I go make myself look irresistible."

"Do you have that kind of time?" Pidge asked, already playing away on his computer game.

Lance laughed heartily as he opened the door across the hall and walked into the room he shared with Hunk. He had to look good, he had to look really good, if he was going to try to seduce a guy as hot as Keith. He probably had guys falling all over him, but Lance wanted to be the one who won tonight, maybe a few more nights.

He went to his closet and started look through the section he called his Get Laid, skin tight jeans, the shirts that were too dressy to be casual but too casual to be dressy that gave him just the right edge of "I don't care and I know, I'm hot,' somehow it always worked for him. If he tried to be modest, women accused him of being insincere and guys laughed in his face. He'd given up on modesty, he knew he was hot. He was hot, skinny, no matter that he followed the same muscle mass building routine of Hunk. He just never gained as much muscle mass, he just took too much after his father he thought. Well, not too much, he was a conservative banker from the midwest, who had nearly swallowed his tongue the first time he caught his son kissing a boy.

Finally he settled on a pair of pants and a shirt, pulled them out, grabbed a pair of boxer briefs, socks and walked further down the hall to the bathroom. He was running so late, Katie and Dai better get back from their wedding planning thing on time. Lance stripped down, turned on the shower and jumped it not waiting for the water to warm up. He didn't want Keith to think he was standing him up or something.

~~.~~

Keith frowned and folded another pair of jeans back up and put them back in the drawer. He sighed and started digging deeper into his clothes, to the layers he hadn't looked at in months, because he usually just wore the same old tried and true comfortable clothes over and over again. He wanted to look good tonight, because, damn this was an actual date. Lance had really asked him out, he'd waiting around outside the examination room and then asked him out. To celebrate not crashing and dying on the moon, Lance said with a wink. Keith was pretty sure it was a date, a real date, a really real date. He hadn't gone on one in months, and the last one he'd been talked into by a girl named Amelia in his History of Battle Strategies class, and it'd been her really boring gay cousin Clive who'd been visiting her. It'd been the worst date ever, and Keith felt all his dates had been bad dates. It was saying a lot.

Crap, he was a bad date. What if this date went bad, it'd be his fault and he'd landed one with a hot guy, a really really hot guy for once. Keith pulled a pair of jeans, they looked new, in fact he didn't remember them at all. Black, they looked nice, they'd work...maybe? He pulled out another pair of jeans, they were dark blue, similar cut to the black ones he somewhat remembered them. He stared at the two of them.

"Oh for crying out loud," Sven exclaimed, dropping his book with a loud thump onto the floor of their dorm room. "Why are you looking through your clothes like a girl getting ready for her first date?"

Keith blushed, thankful his back was facing Sven. He'd told him what had happened in the cockpit and in Taylor's office, but had left out that after Lance had delivered him to the medical bay he'd stuck around to ask him out. "Uh, I have a date."

Sven chuckled. "So, you are a girl getting ready for her first date."

"Shut up," Keith said and he turned around, holding the two pairs of jeans. "Which ones?"

Sven's dark eyes looked Keith in the face and then looked at the jeans, the he rolled his eyes. "Do I like that Jim Tunn guy to you?"

"It's Tim Gunn, and how do I know that, and no you don't; I just...what do I do here?"

"Wear clothes, meet the guy, hope to get lucky?"

"It's not just any guy, Sven," Keith muttered and he threw both pairs on the bed and started to rifle through his shirts. "I have no good clothes for this, no wonder I only have bad dates."

"Who is it?"

"Lance."

"McClain!"

"Yeah," Keith said.

"Wait, he likes guys too?" Sven asked.

Keith nodded into his drawer, not realizing Sven couldn't see it.

"Keith, are you sure this a date, not just a fly boy bonding thing?"

Keith groaned, this was one of the reasons he hadn't wanted to tell anyone. "He's bisexual," Keith said. "He mentioned it to me like he was ordering a cheeseburger with fries. That doesn't happen unless it's true. It's a date."

"Uh. Did not know that."

"Guess GA rumor mill is slow on something for once. Like did you know that everyone knows I'm gay?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Oh."

"For instance, you never told me, Keith, I heard second hand like I already knew."

Keith straightened up and looked at Sven. "Of course I did."

"No."

"Sure."

Sven laughed. "No, I found out from Amelia when she asked me to apologize to you about her cousin. And you just said, she should be sorry. That was second year, you've never actually told me."

"Oh. Sorry," Keith said, unsure what to say now.

"It's no big deal. Really, I'm not sure how anyone knows because I don't think I've ever heard you say it," Sven laughed again. "Maybe it's because you're always looking at guys butts."

"Less mocking and more helping me pick what to wear?"

Sven sighed and stood up. "I don't know the black pair?"

Keith looked between the jeans, and then put the blue pair back into the drawer. He then threw five different shirts down on the bed and glared at them all.

Sven laughing at him, picked up a few of them, then dropped them back down. "Maybe, I should go get one of the girls on the floor?"

"Don't you dare," Keith yelled.

"I'm getting a girl," Sven said and he left the room, leaving the door open.

"Sven, no, don't!" Keith shouted after him, but it was useless, Sven had walked right into Amelia's room. Then he came out with Amelia.

"She owes you one, doesn't she?" Sven said.

Blushing furiously, Keith groaned and then just pointed to his bed.

"I do owe you, and I'm happy to help Keith," Amelia said. She started to study the shirts he had the bed, holding a few of them up to him and then putting them down. "Where are there more shirts, good jean choice though."

"Thank you," Sven said.

Amelia laughed. "So who is the lucky guy, Keith," Amelia said opening the drawer in his bureau Keith had pointed too.

"Lance McClain."

Amelia whirled around, her brown eyes wide. "Seriously! Wow. I mean I know he's bi, I've seen him at Riff's. Usually, with the staff, I don't think I've ever seen him with anyone male from GA... You must be an exception," she said putting way to much emphasis on the word exception for Keith's taste.

"I doubt that," Keith said.

"Uh huh," Amelia laughed. "Okay, my friend Annie dated him for about three weeks, and believe me that is the longest any girl has ever managed to hold on to him - she said his favorite color is blue." As she spoke she pulled out a blue t-shirt of Keith's he hadn't seen since he'd packed last August before the term started. "Oh this will be perfect, this will show off those arms of yours, awesome." She slapped it onto his chest.

"My arms?"

"Oh Keith, if only know how us girls lament about your gayness," she kissed him on the cheek and started to walk away, but Sven blocked her way.

"Don't I get a kiss too?"

"For what?"

"I picked out the pants," Sven said.

Amelia ducked past him laughing hysterically.

Keith eyed him, rolled his eyes. "Why don't you just ask her out, already instead of embarrassing me."

Sven plopped back on his bed and picked up his book. "I only ask them out if I'm sure they'll say yes. Otherwise it's just a mission of madness."

"And lines like, 'I picked out the pants' will work?" Keith raised his eyebrows.

Sven grumbled and stuck his nose in his book, Keith decided not to laugh out loud given the blush he saw on his friends face and neck. Besides he had a nervous stomach, getting dressed and figuring out what to do with his hair to figure out and less than forty-five minutes to do it in. Keith grabbed his towels, and his bag with his shower essentials. "I'm running late, this is going to be a disaster."

He heard Sven laughing as he walked out the door toward the dorm showers, he frowned, turned back and poked his head back into the door. "I'll tell her you like her if you don't shut up."

Sven stopped abruptly his jaw staying open, his already pale skin paling at the thought.

Keith grinned, it was the small victories, he thought, once again making his way toward the showers. He hoped he looked okay in the outfit Amelia and Sven picked out.


	3. Chapter 3

Note: I know nothing about motorcycles and I of course totally made up the name, when you see it that should be obvious.

Chapter Three

Keith was outside five minutes early, he felt late, he was usually ten to fifteen minutes early. He didn't know how he'd lost so much time, it was somewhere between looking for the right pair of jeans and the disaster of his hair. He resisted the urge to touch his hair now as he thought about it, it looked fine, Amelia had rescued him with her flatiron, it was fine. Didn't matter that it was really breezy out and it felt like it was blowing all over the place on him as he walked down a few more steps scanning the area for Lance.

His throat tightened, his palms kept getting ridiculously sweaty, he wiped him for the nth time already on his jeans and the date hadn't even started yet. He tried to distract himself by people watching his fellow Cadets and their friends around the dormitory entrance and the other dormitories surrounding them, but his eyes kept falling onto the couples. The ones who were being picked up for a date, who looked all smiles and confidence. They all looked like they knew what they were doing, not a unsure one of them in the bunch. Keith felt that way about facing down any martial arts opponent, on the firing line for target drills, at the ready for flight course full of traps and tricky maneuvers - his only opponent there was McClain anyway... could he think of this date like Flight Instruction class?

He swallowed, no there couldn't be a competition on a date? Could there? Keith sighed, his past failures at dating hitting him all in the gut like punches. What had he done, saying yes to Lance, so what if he wanted to pin the guy to a wall and lick his way across every inch of pale skin that didn't mean they'd have anything in common outside of flying. What if that was all they did talk about? Then it be what Sven said, a stupid damn fly boy bonding experience at some lame sports bar most likely. Not a date. A date had...Keith wondered what a good date had. His bad dates had crappy restaurants, one had even been a fast food joint with coupons - freaking Amelia's cousins - and then even worse kisses at the end, never started by him because he hadn't wanted to kiss any of them by the end of the date. They'd all been, wrong, just totally and completely wrong, he hadn't found anything in them beyond their initial appeal to make him want more.

Keith didn't think Lance would be like that, though looking at his watch, Lance was already five minutes late officially. He frowned, he knew a lot of tall tales about Lance. There was the dating reputation he had on campus with the women, that Keith never had thought twice about until today when he learned that their were also men involved in that reputation. Except none of them were from the school, all of them were civilians, off Academy grounds and probably older. Experienced. All Keith had were bad unwanted kisses, his own hand and a disgustingly shameful porn collection on his lap top. If this was a usual Friday he'd be in the library right now, face in a book, studying for a test in Quantum Mathematics that is two weeks from now. Lance probably never studied on Friday night, there was one thing they wouldn't have common. What if they didn't have anything to talk about? What if they just sat there in uncomfortable and crappy silence? Lance McClain was known for doing crazy and impulsive things, Keith always thought everything out, he planned things but he hadn't planned this and now he thinking himself into a nervous wreck.

He started to focus on his breathing, he tried not think about the weirder and crazier rumors he'd heard about Lance. Like how Lance wasn't allowed to live on Campus, or even enter a dormitory because he'd dangled an Admiral's son off the roof by his ankles his first year. Or how he nearly got expelled because he'd been caught hot wiring a teachers jaguar by the Vice Chancellor - who it was rumored hated McClain and thought he didn't belong in the Academy or in the Garrison at all. Keith didn't know any of the truth of these things, he didn't put much credit into rumors, what he did know about Lance he liked. He knew he was the best pilot in the Academy, he knew Lance could out fly the Cadets in the years ahead of them. Because he could and he had to work his ass off to keep up with Lance. He knew he liked Lance's voice on the radio, egging him on, saying reckless and stupid things when their superior officer and instructor could hear them, pushing him to want to kick Lance's ass. He also knew as of today, Lance McClain checked things out when they looked wrong, Keith hadn't stayed in group, and hadn't gotten back in with group within a realistic amount of time. Especially with Taylor yelling at him too on the radio - not that Keith could hear it. Lance had ducked out of the drill himself, of which he'd been in the lead, to check on him and ended up saving his Keith's hide. He'd be space junk right now. He owed him.

Didn't matter if he was arrogant, reckless, a flirt, Keith felt his stomach flip, how was he going out with the campus flirt? This had to be disaster, Lance was a totally different person than him, they couldn't possible have anything in common outside of flying, Lance probably just wanted a one night stand and to be done with it. Keith weighed his options on that, he did want the guy, the guy was hot that was how he'd gotten into this mess in the first place. He saw Lance dead on straight and not out of the corner of his eyes for the first time and all he could think about was sex. Maybe, maybe he could do a one night stand? If it was with the right guy, this guy could be the guy, he had the right reputation? Keith frowned even as he thought it, he just wasn't the type, he put too much on the action of the sex, he brought to much with it to the table. It had to mean something more, it had to mean there was a deeper connection. He sighed. He was about to have another bad date, the thing was he really didn't want another bad date. Especially this time.

He glanced at his watch, ten minutes late, he sighed. Maybe he should go inside, maybe Lance McClain was going to stand him up. Then he heard a motorcycle, one with an engine that sounded amazing, it was roaring toward the dormitories. He looked toward it and his mouth dropped open, it was his dream motorcycle. It was a 75 year old classic Falcon Manufactured Limited Run Kessel, only it looked and sounded as good as new, and it was painted bright red the exact shade Keith always dreamed of having if he could get his hands on one. He unconsciously started walking toward the bike and was shocked when it came to a stop right in front of his own dorm. He stopped short a few steps up from it, his eyes going to rider then a strange feeling creeping over him. He watched as an old blue and battered helmet came off the rider and revealed Lance McClain, who looked right at him, shook his head and said. "Sorry, I'm so late, I had to wait for a babysitter. Long, long story, wanna hop on?"

Keith loved motorcycles, they were the closest you could get to flying while earthbound, the feel of them, the speed of them, you being in control of the movement as moved across the earth. It was almost like piloting a spacecraft, and there was his date, the hottest guy he'd ever seen, sitting on his dream bike, asking him to hop on. A voice in his head was saying, '_Marry him Keith, grab on and never let go, this one is yours to keep._' Keith shook it off, didn't even really process it, he was too focused on the double hotness of the bike and Lance. He walked over and just sort of touched the bike.

"How the hell did you get a Kessel?"

"Roommate and I found it in a scrapyard, if you can believe that. He helped me rebuild it, he's genius with mechanics, we found most of the parts in the scrapyard too. We think an old Kessel mechanic must have tossed all his stuff when people stopped needing the parts, plus the old bike. It'd been in a crash but all it needed was some body work and the paint job."

"I, wow, I've had dreams about this bike?" Keith admitted looking back at Lance and finding himself being stared at so intently he felt his cheeks heat. "I, yeah. Good bike," Keith stammered.

Lance grinned, turned around then came back with another helmet, just as battered as his but red. "Here, hop on already, we're late and I made a reservation and have no idea how long they'll hold it. This place doesn't really reserve seating, I'm a special case."

"Why's that," Keith heard himself asking, his heart beating a mile a minute as he climbed on the bike behind Lance and pulled on the helmet. "You take all the guys you date there?"

Lance laughed. "No, one of my roommate's dad owns the place. Feel free to hang on to me, by the way," Lance added as he started up the motorcycle and took off took fast out of the dormitory drive.

Keith felt the rush of take off, his hands landed onto Lance's hips and felt like they belonged there, his chest pressed against his back from the inertia and that didn't feel wrong at all either. He'd even managed an attempt at joking that hadn't gone horribly wrong, either. Keith grinned as he realized how Lance moved in and out the curves of the road on the bike. He rode the bike as effortlessly as the flew, so Keith was able to left go and not worry about crashing, or the driving making mistake, and he got to enjoy a ride on his dream motorcycle with one hell of a hot guy. If the rest of the date failed, he at least had this much, Keith told himself. This was fantastic.

~~.~~

Lance for once in life wasn't laughing off the fact flying and driving a motorcycle were as natural as breathing to him. He could feel every finger of Keith's against his hips, and it wasn't because Keith was gripping on for dear life. It was just because the man had strong fingers. Strong slender fingers that Academy rumor had it could rip out men's throats. It was rumored that he wasn't allowed to use the full force his his martial arts ability because he could kill any body at any time if he did, including the instructors. He usually taught the classes he was in, along with the instructors. Lance had never been in a class with him, but Hunk had he'd said that much was true. Lance didn't much care if the guy was lethal or not, he just found his mind wondering to what all that strength could do when focused on something else, something with more baser intention and naked intentions.

When he'd taken off his helmet, he'd been all he could do not to drool. Keith been standing there, wind blowing his hair, looking like some kind of movie star from Japan about hit Hollywood and take it by storm. He looked finer than fine, Lance had wanted take off the t-shirt he had on then and there, the biceps on the guy were fantastic, he'd wanted to kiss them and then see what was hidden underneath the shirt, which really gave nothing away.

Keith though had instantly fallen in love with the Kessel and made Lance like him all the more. Damn, he loved the bike, Lance was going to have let him drive it, and he never let anyone drive it. But he could see it, he felt it, he was going to let Keith drive it. He'd been watching Keith stroke the steering, touching the speed controls, watching the column of his neck, the way his hands moved and a lump had formed in Lance's own throat. Keith then looked right at him and Lance had almost froze. Him, Lance McClain had almost froze on what he was supposed to do next on a date. Somehow he'd pulled it out, grinned, givenhim his helmet, managed to get out the line about holding on to him - but no where near as smooth as normal.

This guy was doing something to him. Lance already knew that, he knew that because he was taking him to Dovetails. When Keith made the joke about him taking all his guys to the restaurant they were going too, he had no idea the nerve he hit. Lance never took dates to Dovetails. Dovetails was owned by Katie's parents, her dad ran the kitchen; they were catering her wedding of course. Hunk, Pidge and he ate there every Sunday. When all the Garrets were in town, that is where they ate, dragging him and Pidge along.

Hell, he'd even taken his own parents there once. But most the time, he went there alone. It was a great ride down on the bike, windy curvy roads, he could take back roads of dirt and gravel and get the most out of the ride - like he was doing now to show off to Keith. Then he'd get a drink, hard whiskey and sip slow, then he clear his head by walking on the beach. Sometimes he just needed to be alone, away from everything. All of it. There were so many damn expectations from everywhere. Then he'd enjoy the ride back home even more than the ride down.

Dovetails wasn't a place he shared, not with people who weren't - family, and Hunk and Pidge hadn't asked permission to gate crash - so he had no idea why the hell this was the only place that had felt right to bring Keith too. He barely knew the guy, you couldn't really count all their competitive egging on of each other through a shortwave radio. And that had been to challenge himself, to push himself, to shut up the insecure voices in his head he'd let this this hotshot, top student in every other field of Academy beat him down in his own zone. It hadn't heard his voice was sexy as hell, though, Lance thought wryly, parking the bike in the motorcycle parking in the back of the restaurant.

Keith was grinning ear to ear, when Lance met him eye to eye again. "That was a great ride," he said.

"Yeah, I love the ride down here, take it a lot sometimes just because," Lance said.

"Were you born on a motorcycle or in flight?" Keith asked next, shaking his head. "You took some crazy ass risks like they were nothing and the bike stayed firmly where it should, and I didn't even freak out. I always freak out if I don't control," Keith laughed.

"I've been taking those curves since mid-term first year. It's no big," Lance said, trying to discreetly wipe his palm on his jeans before taking Keith's hand. Nerves coming up on him again out of nowhere, he was never nervous on dates, he just did them and got what he wanted out them, of course maybe that was the issue. He wasn't really sure what he could get out of Keith, and should have meant he didn't ask him out in the first place, but he had.

"Uh, Lance?"

"Yeah?" Lance said, slipping his hand into Keith's, surprising him and making Keith look at him with those intense dark eyes of his, Lance had to stop himself from leaning in and kissing him then and there. Keith seemed a bit skittish, he didn't want to freak him out, he definitely didn't want to do that, he wanted to keep him around for bit. That much Lance knew for sure.

"This place looks kind of fancy?"

"It's not, trust me, it just looks that way because of the ocean view, but it's a casual romantic getaway, or a fun family getaway. We are not underdressed."

He watched Keith's eyes rove over him, stopping and going over a few area here and there to appreciate what he saw, Lance grinned wider. He was wearing what Keith was wearing, black jeans, red t-shirt and a black button down unbuttoned over it.

"Yet, you look more," Keith threw up his free hand.

"You look hot, no one is going to give a damn past that," Lance said with a wink and he started dragging Keith around to the entrance of the restaurant. He could hear his heart in his ears, but he kept telling himself he wasn't going to let some nerves and walking into a bit of new territory with the guy get to him. He'd decided to go for whatever it was he was going for here, with Keith Kogane, and he would, full throttle, engines blasting, no turning back.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Keith never had walked into a public place before holding another man's hand, he was out sure, he thought he told people he was gay, though his conversation with Sven earlier had him wondering. But he'd never held a man's hand anywhere but in a gay bar, and usually they were strangers and the handholding lasted as long as it took to get to the dance floor and then was lost to dancing, and then he never saw them again. He wondered if it was his dancing, not more than once. Lance though had him in a good strong grip, Keith could feel his callouses from where he held onto the throttle in their training fighters, and few others in places that Keith found himself imagining came from working on the Kessel. He hoped their handholding didn't cause any sort of fuss, he hated worrying about it, but he couldn't help himself he worried, he'd been at his end of homophobic crap far too often in life not to worry.

Lance pushed through a glass door, walked up to the woman who was in charge of seating - who was in the middle of seating another couple, kissed her on the cheek and casually asked.

"Did we get ocean view? I requested ocean view?"

The woman rolled her eyes, looked at the other couple with an apologetic smile and then looked back down at her chart. "You're late," she said.

"Katie's fault, not mine," Lance said.

She raised an eyebrow. "Really, you're going to blame my little sister?"

"Oh yeah, she promised me home in fifteen minutes, will look after Pidge, they got back in thirty. Call her, if you don't believe me."

"Okay, fine, I can still give you an ocean view," she muttered, she then smiled at the other couple again. "Just a few more minutes, this is a very valued customer. He's going to build the archway my sister is going to get married under. Design, construct, nail, paint, the whole thing, starting soon I would think, given the wedding is soon. You didn't forget that did you Lance?" she asked as she grabbed to menus and started walking ahead of Lance and Keith.

Keith watched the exchange with interest, his mind grabbing onto two things right away. Pidge, was the nickname he'd heard a few people call Darrel Stoker the six or seven year old genius in their class. Keith had always been a bit fascinated by him, and a lot intimidated by him at the same time. They were in a few classes together, and Keith was spending hours upon hours studying trying to keep up with the kids ability to learn and process. He knew that first year there had been something that happened in the dormitories that led to someone who was not responsible for him, asking to be responsible for him and moving him off campus. Keith didn't think it could possibly be Lance though, wouldn't that have come up in rumor? The second thing that intrigued him was the carpentry, that sounded interesting and he got instant vision of Lance in nothing but jeans hammering, he wasn't even sure what Lance was hammering in his mind. But it was a good visual, he smiled.

"Introduce me?"

"Keith Kogane, this is Farah Jeremiah, she's my roommate Katie's older sister and a complete nag," Lance said.

"Hello, Keith, how long have you two been dating?" Farah asked.

Keith eyes widened and he looked at Lance, his mind whirling, he looked at their hands, why would she think there was dating going on.

"It's our first date, don't freak him out," Lance said and Keith felt a pull, toward a booth that over looked the ocean.

"Oh. I just... huh," Farah stopped talking. "I'll send, Sara as your waitress."

"Thanks," Lance said. "Sara is the best unobtrusive waitress ever,' he said, finally letting go of Keith's hand to slide into the booth.

Keith slid in across from him and he looked around. "So, uh, you live with Darrel Stoker?"

"Oh," Lance's face fell into an odd expression.

Keith wished for a rewind button for his mouth, then a delete function and then he could put something else in where he'd said that. "I said the wrong thing," he blurted out.

"No, no, I mean it's a normal question. Everyone asks it the second his name comes up and it always does, I mean it has to come up. It's just... ugh," Lance shook his head. "I love the kid, I do, don't get me wrong it's just I hate the responsibility. I'm still waiting to foul him up beyond repair, like something is going to happen on my watch and his IQ is going to drop to average or something."

"You're the one who took him out of the dorms?" Keith asked, his voice giving away his doubt, which he then felt instantly horrified about. "I mean, I didn't mean for that... crap."

"Hell no, I didn't suggest it. Hunk did."

"Hunk Garrett?"

"Yeah, he was my roommate first year. We were across the hall from Pidge and Stella Dewey. She was vetted by the Garrison as the right girl for the job, to keep an eye on a five year old, orphaned genius. On paper, maybe, they forgot to find out if she was you know a good person. She was a bitch to him from day one and then she started dating that ass, Fargate Gaskill."

Keith made a face, he had hated Gaskill, he was an idiot, he got by on his father the Senator's name and his mother the the well decorated hero Captain on her way to becoming an Admiral status in the Garrison. He was stuck up, a bully and average at best at everything he did but thought he was great, but had to prove it by putting others down. "Hate that guy."

"He pretty much ring mastered most of the crap Pidge put up with in the dorms. There were nights, I had to sit on Hunk to stop him from beating the guy up. Pidge would lecture Hunk on why it was irrational and dumb, and I would sit and agree. Pidge handled it all better than Hunk really. You've met Hunk right, he's in some of your classes."

"Yeah, he's huge."

"You should meet his brothers," Lance laughed. "He's teddy bear around kids, he took to Pidge fast, made friends with him, the second he found out about the bullying he wanted to smash faces. But Pidge told him he's used to it. I mean it was freaky, for the first three months of knowing the kid I felt like I must've somehow taken some drug or something. Because you have this five year old, and he'll be in your dorm room watching a cartoon, then he'll look at you and say: You have to talk to Hunk, he was talking about smashing the faces in of those buffoons who can't handle that I am simply just smarter than they are. I keep telling him, I do not take it personally, I do realize it is their problem and not mine. They are insecure. Don't let him get in trouble on my account, Lance. Anyway it would just make the bullying worse, I learned that lesson the hard way at the orphanage on Balto. Oh, awesome look, Scooby Doo Classic is back on!" Lance paused for a moment. "Or, something like that I mean he can give you a complex, because he is smarter than you, a third your size and way younger. But he is still a kid."

Keith shook his head. "Wow, so what finally made Hunk do what he did?"

"I got kicked out of the dorms indefinitely, nearly out of the school, but Pidge and Hunk both cried foul on that and made sure the Chancellor heard all sides. A couple other kids in our dorm spoke up on my side too, or least I heard they did, they never admitted it in public."

Keith waited, he had a feeling if he stayed quiet that Lance would tell him the whole story. Suddenly two beers fell onto the table. "If you, don't like beer," a woman was telling, him just let me know. "Have you two looked at the menus are you just flirting?"

"Penny, where is Sara?" Lance said.

"She had to go home," Penny said.

"Beer is fine," Keith said.

"Good. He's cute," Penny said to Lance. "Look at the menus," she said again and walked away.

"Sorry about her, she's a bit of a nosy one," Lance sighed. "Anyway, you're wondering how I got permanently disallowed to be in the dorms, aren't you?"

"I get the kicked out, but the no entry?"

"That's just Gaskill's parents making noise, and the Garrison letting them. He didn't get that awful personality from nowhere."

"Gaskill? The ankles? Was Gaskill?" Keith asked, his mouth starting to curve up, normally he would never smile at another persons misfortune but this wasn't just some other person. This was a grade A asshole and bully that Keith couldn't stand. "Please, tell me yes."

"Oh hell, yes. He went to far."

"With Stoker?"

"Yeah. Hunk was off for the weekend, with his parents, they live nearby so he did lots of family things. He tried to talk both me and Pidge into going, but we both were trying to keep arms length from Hunk still, at the time, turns out to be impossible, really. I was came in early from a really tragic date with this guy I met at the beach, and I found Pidge in the hallway in a ball crying over this torn up stuffed bear."

"Crap, what happened."

Lance sighed and squirmed. "I hate this story, it makes me look better than I am. Really it does. It's just I'm the one who came home and found him. It would've been Hunk otherwise you know. It should've been. Anyway the kid never cried, they could pants him in public, they could take his glasses and hide them, they were always locking him out of the room, he could get back in. They'd stolen his clothes, they'd ripped up his homework, stolen his computers, they'd done awful things. Never saw a tear, just anger, hurt and disappointment. This was different, I'd seen the bear a few times, usually on his bed, sticking out from under his pillow. Anyway, I picked him up, because he wouldn't budge and brought him into my room, put him on Hunk's bed. He cried for while longer, then he looked up at me, his glasses all wet and smeared, with cotton from the bear on it and said. 'It was all I had from them, the bear, it's all I had from them.' I ask who, but I think I already knew. He says his parents. That's when I saw red, it was just too much, it was bad enough guys my age were tormenting a kid, even one as bright and more grown up than then they or I even could be. Stella was't stupid, she had to have figured out the bear was a treasured keepsake, even if she didn't know the whole story. So I asked exactly who tore up the bear. He wouldn't tell me, he saw I was pissed, he actually stopped crying and started trying to talk me down. But I was too mad, and a little drunk, and I told him no, it had gone too far and stormed out of the room and up two floors to Gaskills room where I knew I'd find them."

"Rumor I heard was you dangled him off the roof?" Keith asked, because he wondered.

"Yeah, I don't know who started that, or how it went to that. It was just the tenth floor, well not just..." Lance shook his head and looked a little sick when he said. "I kicked in the door, which almost made me lose my lunch, because that is what my dad did when he was pissed at me. He'd kick in my door..." Lance sighed. "I kicked in the door, and demanded to know about the teddy bear."

Keith nodded. "What happened?"

"I demanded to know about a teddy bear, Keith. They all started to laugh hysterically."

"Screw them," Keith thought, his brain on the idea of a kid losing his only heirloom to his parents. He'd lost his parents too, if he'd lost any of the things he held dear that he'd inherited he didn't know what he'd do. He didn't know what he'd do at all. "I take it that made you more mad?"

"Pretty much," Lance said. "Gaskill's roommate at the time was Bradley Elias, notice he doesn't hang out with that crowd anymore. Well, he was mostly with them because he was his roommate and he didn't know how to not be one of them, yet. Well, I knew that he'd lost his mother recently, because I'd overheard it by accident. And this was not one of my better moments but I pissed. I saw this portrait of her, it was painted, I knew it had to be his mom because it wasn't Captain Gaskill. I grabbed it, and held it over my head. Bradley leapt up to defend it, grab it, no one else tried to help him. I asked him, how'd he feel I destroyed it, if I took it away from him, right now so soon after she was gone. He was falling to pieces, he was a wreck. Then I said, sucks, right, then why the fuck did you let them do the same thing to Pidge with the bear, did you know it was the only thing he had that was a connection to his parents. The one thing. Just one thing. I destroy this painting, you have all those pictures, Bradley. Then I slammed the picture back at him. As I spoke I heard Stella actually gasp and a few of the other girls, too. But Gaskill was still just laughing. I was pissed, I saw the open window, and I don't know why but I tackled him, then I manhandled him out the window, until I was holding him by his ankles and I kept it up until he admitted it. He had two other friends in that room, they didn't even try to help him, Stella and the girls left. Bradley just stayed on his bed, looking at the painting. Overall it was just a big stupid mess, I mean I had no game plan, it didn't accomplish anything except maybe make Elias think, because he requested a new room after that from what I heard. He never looks me in the eye though and I feel like ass whenever I see him, for doing that to him."

"Uh, the waitress is coming back," Keith said, instead of what he wanted to say. That he probably would've reacted in anger to, maybe even more violently because of his own past, he couldn't be sure. He wouldn't know until it happened but he couldn't blame Lance for being so angry at Gaskill, Stella and their friends for all the things they'd done for Pidge. The bear being the last really big straw to break the camel's back.

"The cheeseburger is good, want to get that?" Lance said.

Keith nodded.

"Great, and more beer," Lance grinned, drinking down what was left in the beer, he'd been drinking as he told the story. Keith looked and noticed he'd drank his own as well, one more wouldn't hurt him.

"Hi, boys. What will be?"

"We'll both have cheeseburgers and more beer."

"Okay," Penny said, looking at them. "First date, really?" She said looking at Lance. "And here?"

"What's the big deal?" Lance said, rolling his eyes at her.

"It's interesting," she turned around and walked away.

Keith leaned forward. "Do you not bring many first dates here?"

"Truth is, you're the first date I've ever bought here," Lance said.

"Oh." Keith was surprised and kind of flattered, he looked around the place again and out at the ocean, the sky filled with stars. "I like it."

"Me too," Lance said, but when Keith looked back at him all Lance was looking at was him.

Keith blushed. "So, uh, the Gaskills made a huge fuss about the ankles."

"Yeah, I mean I could've dropped him, I don't recall ever feeling like I would, or feeling him slip, but he was sure he was slipping the entire time," Lance rolled his eyes. "And well, I refused to bring up the bullying of Pidge to defend myself. Because I didn't want to make it worse on Pidge than I already had. I knew Gaskill take it out on him."

"Crap."

"See this is why I hate this story, it was stupid, I should have listened to the kid, but I was pissed on his account and just mad. I ran off and was an ass to Bradley and I could've dropped Gaskill. I do things like that all the damn time, it's a wonder I haven't been kicked out yet."

"Vice Chancellor is rumored to hate you."

"Oh she does. Anything I do wrong, she shows up to my detention to make sure I'm doing it right, if not she adds more. But the Chancellor likes me for some reason, whatever that is."

Keith shrugged, but shook his head. "But so, how did you and Hunk end up with Pidge."

"Well, when Hunk got back Sunday, Pidge was still being bullied, the bear was still torn up, and I'd been kicked out of the dorm and was facing being expelled. Stella was looking guilty, others wouldn't look him the eye, Gaskill and his two man pals, never remember their names, were the only ones with the gaul to keep doing things around Hunk. Hunk took Pidge and came up to the Chancellors office and they both spoke on my behalf, then Hunk offered his idea. He'd already been thinking about it actually. His brother Dai and his girlfriend were having trouble meeting rent, if Hunk moved in and got a part time job around his classes he could help out. He figured he could also work around Pidge's classes, and keep an eye out for him. Hunk also said that I was going to be offered the other roommate spot, I'd just need to find a part time job. He told them I didn't deserve to thrown out of the Academy for trying to do what was right, even if I'd let anger cloud my judgement. Really he was just cleaning up my mess, plus giving me a place to live. Anyway, a few others had also told the Chancellor about the Pidge situation and with Pidge finally making a statement, he lessened my sentence. But he kept the dorm ban just make the Gaskills happy, and we all moved in with Katie and Dai. Hunk and I work at the scrapyard part time, which is like heaven for him, kind of boring for me. I mostly work on the bike, and this week I'll start work on the archway Farah mentioned. We had to sign a paper about our responsibilities to Pidge, which is all common sense really, I just...ugh, I still feel like it's insane and not really right I'm on it. Not sure really if it was a favor or a punishment. Don't know what good I do the kid. He's all freaked out now too, because Dai and Katie are moving out after the wedding, and we need to find two new roommates or the Garrets can't help us out. If that happens, Hunk and he go back to the dorms and I...I don't know where I'll sleep."

"I think it's great, I mean, I'd be freaked about it too. In charge of a kid, especially one so smart. He intimidates me, I want to talk to him in our classes but I'm always afraid I'll treat him too much like a kid and offend him, or treat him too much like an adult and allienate him."

"I think you think too much," Lance smiled.

"Maybe there is that," Keith laughed. "Plus, he makes it hard to keep up my grade point average and if I don't keep it up, I lose my scholarship."

"You're here on a scholarship? Wow, those are not easy to get? Full ride?"

Keith nodded. "It's a pain to keep up, but I got to. I mean usually Friday's I'm in the library."

"Seriously, I would think you'd have guys knocking down your dorm room door begging for your time," Lance said.

Keith ducked his head down, praying his cheeks weren't as red as they felt, because they felt burning hot. "No, no, last date I had was a blind date and it was a disaster. And all the dates before then, disasters. I don't know what goes wrong."

"Them, obviously, something is wrong with these guys you went out with," Lance said.

"Well Amelia's cousin, that was all on him. The guy I kissed in high school, I think he just wasn't ready to come out of the closet, so he punched me. It was middle of that term I transferred here. I don't know about the rest, they seem to do fine otherwise, they just weren't...good enough."

Lance's eyes widened. "Good enough? Oh, so you have high standards do you. Good thing, I'm me then. We've got no problem."

Keith smiled, loving the way Lance tipped back his head when he drank his beer, or from the glass of water. He wanted to lick up that neck, he really did, and he really did think Lance was good enough, maybe more than good enough. He wasn't sure about him, he wiped his palms on his pants again, and breathed in a sigh of relief when the food arrived.

"Here go boys, more beer, cheeseburgers, and the dessert menu," Penny laid them all down. "Need anything else?"

"Bye Penny," Lance said.

"Fine, I'll take the hint," she said and she walked away.

"Okay, so you know I live with Hunk, his brother, the brother's fiancee, hang out at this place too much, live with a mega-genius seven year old and work at scrapyard. Tell me about you, can you really kill people with your bare hands? Cause I gotta say, that's kind of hot as hell to know that hand wrapped around that beer bottle has all that strength."

Keith grinned and sighed at the same time. "I think I can, I've never tested it, of course. But my Master back home told me to not use my full force on anyone who was not the enemy. We did practice drill after practice drill of me learning to hold back, which was odd after him teaching me not too. There are some guys here I don't have to hold back completely with, and the teachers of course. But I feel like I instruct more than anything. And the best sparring partner I have is my roommate, he's almost as good as me."

"Sven right, yeah, he's a good flyer, better shooter. He's in a couple of my other classes, all the ones I have to run out of fast."

"That's for Pidge right? Not cause you have hot dates waiting like all the girls think?" Keith said.

Lance laughed. "Yeah. So how did you get into martial arts?"

"My dad started teaching me the second I could walk, I think, feels that way. I don't know, I was in competitive competition in japan by the time I was six. My parents died then though, and I moved out here, my dad's sister, she kept my dad's wishes and let me keep it up. But there werent' any more competitions. I missed it though, I love a great competition."

"Don't I know it, you keep me on toes."

Keith grinned. "Good, like I said I have to keep my grades up. Can't let you out fly me too easy."

"Like it's easy, but that's why it's a challenge," Lance winked. "Though man your fighter."

Keith winced. "Yeah."

"I'm sorry, about your parents," Lance said after a few beats of comfortable silence.

Keith smiled shyly and nodded. "You haven't really mentioned yours, except uh, the door thing and your dad not being too happy with the boy kissing."

"Yeah, that was an understatement. He kicked me out of the house. I moved in with my grandparents for a few months, then decided to join the GA. I talk with my grandparents, but not my parents. I think my mom would talk to me but my dad..."

"I'm sorry, I wonder what my parents would think, my aunt knows, she was really great, shocked me to hell. She said she'd known since I was ten."

"That's cool, you didn't even need to tell her."

"Yeah, just like I didn't need tell you, or Sven - though I really thought I told him," Keith sighed.

"You did seem a bit put out when I told you the whole campus knows your gay, sorry about that."

"Yeah, and only the girls who know anything about you being bi, or the ones who go to Riff's anyway. I've never seen you in there."

"I'm usually there Friday's, and Saturdays, sounds like thats not when you go."

"No, I go Thursdays when it's a bit more tame, and I have less of a homework load. Get done faster."

"There you go, I have picked up a few girls there, when the guy choices were slim, which really sometimes around here they just are. My pal Cody, who is gay gets pissed when I do that. He is like you're the only guy I know who can pick up a girl at a gay bar and then go get the number of the bartender. I wasn't really trying for the bartender's number, but hell he was cute, I took it."

Keith nodded, he was starting to worry again, that he could do this. Be with someone like Lance, with so much experience, so much dating under his belt. He was bound to notice Keith didn't know what he was doing, and there were no books on this. Well, no books that weren't titled, Idiots Guide Gay Dating, or The Complete Morons Guide to Homosexual Dating Behaviors. Keith picked up his beer and drained half of it in one gulp, and he felt Lance's eyes on him the entire time, watching him drink nervously.

"What is it?" Lance asked.

"Uh, it's," Keith stammered. "I'm doing it."

"It?"

"Turning this into a bad date."

Lance's eyes narrowed. "Okay, what happened, did I fall down on the good enough scale? Should I be flirting more, or less?" As he spoke, Lance leaned forward and grabbed Keith's hand that was playing with his french fries, thumb stroking his skin. "I can always flirt more, less I probably suck at," Lance added with a wink.

Keith laughed, fighting against closing his eyes to relish the feeling of Lance's thumb stroking against his skin, over french fries of all things, he looked down at their hands and he shook his head. "You're great," he said looking back up. "Really."

"Then what the hell is the problem?"

"Bad dates, don't really end with...well with anything good," Keith fidgeted, in his seat, his free hand going to the back of his neck and he found he couldn't quite look Lance in the eye. Lance had such a intense yet open gaze, playful yet there was so much more there, Keith wanted to search it all out, find the answers. He didn't want this to be another bad date, but here he was failing miserably, the fact Lance had let go of his hand spoke volumes.

Keith was about to force himself to straighten his spine, and smile his way through the rest of the date, when he felt solid warmth against his left side. He turned and saw Lance had slide around the booth, so he was next to him, their legs touching. His mouth fell open in shock, Lance's hands were on his face and then Lance's tongue was sliding into his mouth and his lips were pressing against Keith's. Lance was kissing him.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Lance was kissing him. Looking back on it, Keith would never be able to figure out how he didn't freeze up in shock but instead responded to the kiss. Lance was kissing him like it was the most natural thing to do in the world and Keith wanted to match it, so he started to respond back, pressed his own lips back against Lance's, slid his own tongue against Lance's, brought his own hands up against Lance's jaw, feeling the start of stubble there and that's when he moaned. Then Lance groaned moved a hand behind his neck and deepened the kiss and Keith was sure he would've crawled onto Lance's lap, if a cleared throat behind them hadn't reminded him they were in a restaurant.

"Lance," a deep male voice was saying.

Keith sprung back so fast, he nearly toppled out of the booth, he was sure he was as red as the shirt Lance had on, he looked down at the french fries wondering if he was more turned on or mortified. He couldn't seem to think in terms other than sexual arousal or embarrassed.

"Oh, hey, Benjamin," Lance said, sounding to Keith's ears amazingly nonchalant. "What's up?"

"I came out to see how you and your date are doing? I see quite well," Benjamin said in a teasing tone.

"Uh, yeah we're great, right Keith," Lance said, grabbing Keith's fidgety hand away from the fries with one hand, and pulling his own meal across the table to where he was now sitting. Keith couldn't check his smile when he realized Lance had no intention of moving.

"Also, you two are on a two beer limit, so that's it for the underaged drinking, you're going to get me arrested someday, kid. Have you seen Katie today?"

"Briefly," Lance said, putting Keith's hand down under the table, high up on Lance's thigh. "Didn't have time to chat."

Benjamin nodded. "Tell her to call her father, he misses her."

"Gotcha, on with the guilt trip, as soon as possible."

"And are you going to introduce to me, or continue being rude?"

"Oh!" Keith almost laughed, when Lance sat up straighter, and gave this weird sort of lopsided smile at him, Keith found he really liked that smile. "Keith Kogane, this is Benjamin Jeremiah, the roommates dad and owner of Dovetails."

"Keith it's a honor to actually meet one of Lance's dates, for once," Benjamin said pointedly then added as he walked away. "Maybe this is one you'll bring to the wedding?"

Lance nearly choked the fry he put in his mouth. Keith watched in bemusement because invited to a wedding, if he'd had something in his mouth he'd have choked too, he was too worried about getting through this date let alone what happened after it. Keith grabbed Lance's beer from the other side of the table, "Here."

"Thanks, man, I...knew there was a reason I didn't bring dates here," Lance muttered. "Sorry, about him, interrupting." Lance grabbed Keith's hand again. "That wasn't a mistake right? Kissing you, you seemed to be thinking too much and it seemed the right move but I don't know, people say sometimes I make too bold a move and push people too far and that's never good either so if it was mistake just tell me and I can back off and go back across the table..."

Keith leaned forward and kissed him just to shut him up, he liked listening to Lance talk but he was just babbling. Babbling nervously, which meant he was nervous too, they were both nervous, Keith felt suddenly really unnervous. Also, their last kiss had been interrupted.

Lance's last words were swallowed by Keith's lips, but beside that Lance didn't miss a beat in kissing him back, thoroughly, and slowly, he slowed down the kiss that Keith found himself hissing a bit, wanting the intensity back and Lance laughed into his mouth, pulling away slightly for breath. "Bossy aren't you," he laughed.

"Maybe," Keith said.

Lance kissed him again but pulled back way too quickly. "We, really can't do this here," he pointed out, groaning a bit in frustration as he pulled back from Keith.

Keith went from turned on, focused solely on Lance and himself, to remembering the entire deck full of restaurant patrons around them and turned beet red again, he was sure. "I don't do these things," Keith muttered, sticking cold french fries into his mouth and making a face. "Our food is cold."

"Very, want me to get it heated back up, or do you want to just forget it?"

Keith was about to say just forget it when his stomach rumbled loud enough to re-embarrass him and make Lance laugh. "Heated up it is, I'm hungry too," Lance said and he grabbed their plates. "Don't move, and if any guys come over here tell them you're taken," he said with a wink.

Keith nodded and shook his head at the same time, as he tried to figure out when exactly his world had gotten tipped upside down, and he also watched Lance's ass move until he walked around a corner. Then with nothing to look at it, he looked out at the ocean, and unconsciously matched his breathing to the waves, calming himself down.

~~.~~

Lance let himself into the kitchen, walked up to a microwaved and pushed in both their plates. He hit a few buttons and then watched as the plates went around in circles. Then he felt warm hands circle him from behind and start to ruck up his shirt, "Who is he?" a male voice asked.

The voice attached to the hands shocked him, he'd expected it to be Penny, flirting with him like she always does, not him, especially not him, not here. He grabbed on of the hands and twisted himself away and out of the hold. "What are you doing here?"

"Benjamin was hiring, I need extra cash," Griffin said, smiling he leaned in and kissed Lance before Lance realized what he was doing.

Lance shoved him off. "What the hell?"

"Hey," Griffin held up his hands. "Rumor mill is saying it's a first date, didn't know it was a FIRST DATE, all capital letters. Who is he?"

Lance turned back to the food, it was still spinning around. "Guy from the Academy, great pilot, almost as good as me."

"Whoa, major compliment from the arrogant flyboy. He hot, where is he sitting, let me peek..."

Lance grabbed Griffin's arm. "No, you can't peek on my date, you can't meet my date either. No way. He, no. No meeting a pal I've fucked around with on the first date."

Griffin leaned against the wall and eyed Lance, Lance stared back, trying not to feel studied by the older man, Griffin was about ten years older than him, pushing thirty. He was always around when Lance called him, even if it was just for advice, or a favor. He just a good guy, helpful and yeah a fun date, good in the sack - like he'd told Keith when he'd walked himself out of the closet earlier in the day, to let Keith knew they were on the same team. But there were times when Lance didn't understand Griffin at all. No matter how good of friend he thought he was.

"You like this one."

"I like all the guys I see," Lance hedged.

"See? See? Lance you don't see guys, you get laid. Sometimes you see them a time or two after that. Now and again like with us, you make friends and see them as more than a piece a meat. But, yeah see... you're really dating this one. This is actually a first date."

Lance rolled his eyes but he jumped with the microwave beeped behind him. "Of course it's a first date, it the first time we've gone out."

"You fucking him tonight?"

"No," slipped out Lance's mouth so fast, he didn't have time to stop it.

Griffin started laughing. "My oh my, I'm getting a look. Give me one of those plates, come on their hot, you'll drop one if you carry both."

"No, no way, he knows we've done it," Lance heard himself yell.

"So?" Griffin said, walking off anyway, "Where too?"

Lance sighed and prayed Keith wouldn't recognized Griffin and his tattoo as being the hot bartender from Riff's. He walked out, holding Keith's plate, with the crazy pattern he'd been making of his fries out of nervousness. He looked at it and grinned, as he walked. It was damn hot that he was making someone so hot so nervous. It was bizarre to him someone so hot was admitting to him to be so inexperienced. He sure as hell didn't kiss like he was inexperienced, Lance was just thinking he'd been kissing the wrong guys.

"That's my plate," Lance said, when Griffin put the plate down in front of Keith.

"Oh sorry," Griffin started to move it across the table.

"No, right next to him, man," Lance said.

Keith was staring at Griffin, then at his arm were the gothic lion was roaring, and then back at Griffin. Keith then turned red, like he'd been doing most the night, only this time it scared Lance. He then looked at Lance wide eyed. Lance mouthed, "I didn't know he'd be here." And hoped that would appease Keith, he really hoped this didn't screw things up for him, tonight was going well. He then pushed past Griffin who was dawdling by the table, and put Keith's plate down for him. "Thanks for the assist, Griff," he said, using the nickname he knew Griffin hated to give him a clue.

Griffin's eyebrow rose but he shook his head. "I'm Griffin, I've seen you before, you must come into Riff's."

"Uh, yeah, usually Thursdays."

"Right, one of the quiet crowd, unlike this rabble-rouser," he winked at Lance.

Lance sat down, slid around the booth so he was next to Keith again, slid his arm around Keith's shoulders and picked up his burger with his free hand. "Bye, now."

Griffin gave him this look that made Lance feel like he'd really hurt him for a second, but then it was gone and there was a large smile. "Catch you kids, around," he said as he walked away.

"I had no idea he'd started working here," Lance said, as soon as he swallowed. "None, if I had I would have taken us to... Riff's," he laughed.

Keith nodded and swallowed his own bite of the cheeseburger. "No, it's okay, it was just...what you said in the elevator was all I could think about once I placed him. I mean, I've already been picturing you naked all night, just not with someone else...I mean.. I... I'm really not a stammerer."

Lance grinned. "You need to relax, chill out, breathe..." Lance said, gripping Keith's shoulder and pulling so they both rested back on the booth. "Listen to the ocean, eat your fries instead of creating a snowflake pattern, though it was kind of pretty, and then we'll go for a walk."

"I was relaxed until I saw him, I was breathing with the tide," Keith said.

"Hmm, okay we'll breath with the tide, and I'm sorry about him. I'd like you to get back to the naked picturing of me... with who then?"

Keith blushed and picked up a fry, but ate it and Lance grinned. "Who said you were with anyone?" Keith winked.

"I bet I was with this hot Japanese dude."

"I'm Chinese too you know,"

"Whatever, I'm just an All-American-Mutt, I'll pant after you either way," Lance said biting into his burger.

Keith burst out laughing.

~~.~~

"You aren't supposed to be in here," Keith whispered, between kisses, between Lance dragging his tongue down his jawline. "I don't think this is a good idea."

"Shh, don't think, no one will know, I'll be gone soon enough. I just want to put you to bed," Lance whispered back, his hand searching for the knob, as his other grabbed Keith's ass, while his mouth found Keith's again.

"Hmm," Keith sighed into the kiss, lost his train of thought again, and he felt his dorm room door open. "How did you?"

"You gave me the key," Lance laughed. "Because your hands are busy?"

"Right," Keith whispered, gripping Lance's ass with one hand, sliding his other hand up Lance's spine, under the red t-shirt. Keith idly wondered where they'd left the black button down, on the motorcycle outside where this epic make out session had started. Or resumed, because it'd started on the beach, or had it started in the restaurant, Keith wasn't sure which start and stop counted. He wanted to just count them all as one continuous amazing kiss.

"Don't wake Sven," Keith muttered, into Lance's ear, kissing it then kissing his jaw, Lance was pulling at his shirt and kicking the door closed. It slammed, making them both jump and Sven snorted in his sleep. Lance laughed into Keith shoulder. "Oops, didn't mean to do that so loud."

"How do you do so much at once, you have me half undressed?"

"It's a talent much like flying, and it only gets better with practice," Lance whispered, kissing Keith on the mouth between words, then he pulled the blue shirt off of him completely and dropped to knees.

"Hey, where is your face, I need your face," Keith said and he wondered if you could get buzzed off of kissing because he'd never felt higher or drunker in his life and he was sure the two beers he had had dissipated out of his system hours ago.

"It's busy," Lance said, as he starting tonguing Keith's abdomen. "I knew your stomach would be amazing, god," Lance whimpered, teasing Keith's bellybutton with his tongue.

"Oh," Keith's hands were in Lance's air. "Uh, oh," Lance was nowhere near where his erection but he was harder by the second, Lance's tongue on his bellybutton, around it, his hands gripping and massaging his ass. "Fuck, that feels," he said a bit too loud.

Sven shot up. "Uh, what, what's wrong!"

Keith froze, Lance turned his head toward Sven, Sven sat up, his eyes open staring. Keith didn't know what to do or say, he was blushing again, he'd must've broken a world record on blushing on this date, and it still wasn't quite over. Sven stared a beat a longer than said. "I am going back to sleep now, I'll pretend this didn't happen," then he went back down onto his back.

Lance shrugged but he stood up, Keith felt light headed and dizzy and suddenly wished he had a single. "I," he let his head fall onto Lance's shoulder, the mood wasn't killed but it was gone.

"You'll see me soon," Lance said, moving the two of them pushing Keith down onto his bed, and falling there with him. He kissed him and then kissed him. "Damn, I don't want to leave."

Keith grinned, and held on tighter. "Okay, then don't," he said even though he knew that was foolish. In fact it was asinine, it could get Lance in a ridiculous amount of trouble due to the pathetic ruling caused by dumb parents with pull.

They kept kissing and touching, Keith was pulling off Lance's shirt, and they were moving closer, wrapping their legs together, fitting as close together to as they could, lips and tongues dragging across the any skin they could get from the chin up. Hands going further, but skimming the more intimate areas, they were saving those for later. Keith didn't know when later was he just knew they were saving them for later.

Sometime during all of this, they both fell asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

A cell phone was blaring a song Keith knew but couldn't place, it was from the 1970's he thought, maybe even older. It was disturbing his warmth. It was disturbing the perfect sleep he'd been experiencing. He felt cocooned up in his bed, warmer than usual, which was nice with a solid comforting weight around him. He didn't want to movie, wanted to doze and he wanted to fall back to sleep. The room was gray, that meant it was early, and it was Saturday. He slept in Saturday's until eight it had to be around four or five in the morning now, Keith thought, moving more into the warmth, pushing his face more into what he thought was his pillow onto to realize it was skin.

Smooth, soft skin that smelled like sandalwood, smoke and leather, the intoxicating smell he remembered from last night when he'd gotten drunk off of Lance's mouth and hands. How he had to keep kissing him and he couldn't stop. Keith remembered feeling high, though he no basis for comparison never having taken drugs. He pulled back a little, only enough to see, opened his eyes, and saw he'd been sleeping with his face buried against Lance's neck, partly on a pillow yes, but mostly one Lance. He blinked a few times, there was a reason this was bad, Keith thought, but he was smiling.

Lance McClain was his bed, sleeping. The blankets bunched around Lance's waist and he didn't have a shirt on. Lance was on his side, facing Keith so Keith could savor and look as much as he wanted to. He took Lance's frame, he had a thin frame with shoulders that seemed a bit too broad for it. A little disconcerting trick of genetics, Keith thought, idly, giving into the urge to put his hand against Lance's chest. Feeling the spattering light colored hair he had there. Keith trailed his hand down to Lance's stomach, flat and perfect and remembered what Lance had been doing to his own stomach last night. His hands, his tongue, the teasing around his belly button. He'd never known it was an erogenous zone before then, he'd woken up Sven he'd been so turned on. Keith blushed, again, he thought but he didn't care this time no one could see him.

Just below Lance's belly the hair on his torso got darker, it became the same shade as his hair a reddish-brown and Keith let his finger tips and nails graze the hair. Fantasizing about dipping his hands under the waistband of Lance's jeans, his unbuttoned jeans Keith had noticed, they were unzipped too. Keith was just in his boxers, Lance was in his unbuttoned and unzipped jeans... Keith closed his eyes and wished they were alone in the room, wished he didn't feel so insecure and could take the fantasy out of his head and take the initiative. He was stopping himself, he knew it, as he took in the sight Lance made half naked, in the early morning grayness on his bed.

But also something kept nagging at Keith, in the back of his lust addled and sleepy mind.

The cell phone started to blare again, the same song, only this time Keith realized the song, it was Led Zeppelin's Traveling Riverside Blues and it was coming from the floor, Keith frowned, realizing it had to be Lance's. Sven didn't own a cell phone, and Keith's own ring tone was nothing fancy, he just used a boring ringing sound.

"Will you tell him to answer it," Sven grumbled from his side of the small dorm room, his accent thicker from sleep.

"He's asleep," Keith said, trying to stay quiet.

"Wake him."

Keith sighed as the phone went to voicemail. "Maybe they won't call back again?" Keith said as the phone started to ring again. Sven groaned and put the covers over his head. Keith forced himself to grab Lance's shoulder and shake him, still trying to remember why it was bad Lance was still in his dorm room. He wasn't sure why he wanted to remember, he wanted Lance right were he was, he didn't want to wake him up at all. He wanted to keep looking and touching as much as he dared.

Lance woke with a start, smiled when he saw Keith, then frowned when he heard his phone. "Crap," he muttered, turning away from Keith. He got out of the bed and grabbing it. "What?" he barked into the phone, standing in the middle of the room.

Sven and Keith exchanged a look.

"I'm at Keith's, what are you doing, waiting up for me now like a mom?" Lance laughed into the phone.

"Yeah he lives in the dorms."

Keith felt his blood go cold, the dorms, he wasn't allowed in the dorms. It was stupid but it was true, how could Keith have let him come inside, let alone fall asleep and stay. He was going to get into trouble and on his account. Keith felt blood rushing in his ears as he hopped out of the bed and tried to find Lance his clothes from the piles on the floor.

"Yeah, I know, that's why I told him we'd do the museum," Lance said, glancing over at Keith as Keith put on Lance's red shirt and tossed the blue one over to Lance's side of the bed. "Do you know you just put on my shirt?" Lance asked Keith.

Keith blushed and looked down and rolled his eyes and went to pull it off but Lance grabbed the blue shirt before he could. "Don't, now I know you'll have no choice but to see me again," Lance said, then into the phone he said. "Yes, I am aware you are still on the phone being a worrywart. Who is going to tell, and we'll try to calm Pidge down today, okay? Yeah, bye." Lance closed his phone and shoved it into his back pocket.

"Sorry about that, guys," Lance said, mostly looking at Sven. Then he pulled Keith's blue t-shirt on over his head.

"You don't need leverage to see me again," Keith admitted walking over toward Lance.

"I know, but I want it anyway," Lance said, grabbing Keith's hand. "Walk me out?"

Keith looked down at himself in his boxers and Lance's shirt, "Uh?"

"You're so fucking cute," Lance laughed, pulling Keith with him any outside of the dorm room, then down the stairs and out the front door. Before Keith knew it he was standing by Lance's Kessel, with Lance's hands on his hips and his mouth on his again.

He shivered, his entire body reacted and he wanted to drag Lance back upstairs and tell Sven to get lost, like that one time Sven had shown up with a girl and politely but very firmly informed Keith he needed him to get lost. Keith blushed when a sound like sounded like a dog whimpering came out his mouth when Lance finally pulled away.

Lance groaned himself as he looked at Keith, Keith thought his eyes really dark in the dusky just before sunrise hours, or was it because of him. Lance swallowed and Keith waited because it seemed like Lance wanted to say something but was for some reason staying quiet. Finally Keith pushed a little, wanting to know what Lance was thinking, wanting to kiss him again, wanting to get on the bike with him and just go somewhere together. "Aren't we supposed to be saying see you soon or something here?" Keith asked.

Lance laughed, a small nervous laugh that made Keith feel a lot better about how shaky he felt inside. "Yeah, it's just, I promised Pidge all day today, which was so dumb because you... I knew last night would be great. And I have to be the scrapyard tomorrow, all day, again. Start archway, do homework. So, I, fuck, when do you eat Monday between classes?"

"Uh," Keith found it really hard to turn on the part of his brain that remembered he had schoolwork to do. "I, right. Between Mechanics and Martial Arts, I usually meet Sven outside by the library, then we go get something off campus. Usually at Lena's."

"Okay that's when?"

"Mechanics gets out at 11: 32, and then I have to be at Martial arts before two though, since I'm basically co-teaching it."

Lance laughed. "Great, Hunk's in your mechanics class, I have Flight Histories and Strategies until 11:40, then my next class is Boxing at 2:15, so Lena's? That's that sandwich shop by the Starbuck's right?"

"Yeah," Keith said, smiling, thinking he'd just made his first lunch date. And his first second date, did it count as a second date. Did he ditch Sven?

"Good," Lance said and he pulled out his cell phone, pushed a few buttons and then handed it over to Keith. "Stick, in your number."

Keith smiled as he took the phone, typed in his own cell phone number and handed it back to Lance. Lance grinned at him and then sighed. "I'm not kissing you again, but not because I don't want too, but because if I do, I'll never get on the bike and I really do have to go."

Keith laughed but he nodded and found he was afraid to speak.

"I'll see you Monday, and I'll call before then," Lance said grabbing his blue helmet, and climbing onto the Kessel. "Hey, Keith?"

"Yeah," Keith managed to say, surprised his voice sounded so normal.

"Thanks," Lance said then ducked his head nervously.

"For?" Keith asked, confused

"A great night," Lance said, putting on his helmet and starting the motorcycle.

Keith grinned as he watched Lance take off, then he stood there until he couldn't hear the motor of the Kessel any longer. He sighed, turned around and made his way back up to the dorm room, sighed when the door wasn't locked and walked back inside. Only to find that Sven was awake, dressed and reading his book on Drule Languages.

"So, was that one of another of your many bad dates?" he asked.

Keith smiled and made his way over to his bed and started to make it. "He's going to meet me at Lena's Monday, he said, I guess. I don't... I don't think straight around him."

Sven laughed.

Keith ignored him. "I, wow," Keith ended up saying staring at the ceiling as details of the night flooded his memory.

He was thankful, Sven stayed quiet and focused on his reading, Keith just wanted to commit every detail he could to his memory of the night, and this morning. It could've been a fluke, it might never happen again. He wanted to make sure he had the one perfect night in his mind for always.

~~.~~

Lance knew Hunk was going to give him the worried eyes, the brotherly thing that Hunk did that meant Hunk worried about the choices Lance made, and that he didn't want Lance to be stupid, or make mistakes. But he wouldn't say it more than once out loud, and Hunk had already made his worry clear out loud with his slightly too sharp question of: Doesn't Kogane live in the damn dorms? What are you thinking? Before Hunk back to who he was more worried about, Pidge.

Walking up the steps and straight into the kitchen, that is where he found Hunk, playing with an engine part and eating bowl of cereal. Hunk waved to him as he chewed the cereal, gave him a once over with his eyes to make sure Lance hadn't driven home drunk or gotten in any bar fights and than just muttered the word, 'dorms.'

Lance rolled his eyes, opened the refrigerator and pulled out orange juice and poured himself a beer mug full because it was the only glass he could find that wasn't dirty. "Some one should do the dishes," he said sitting down across from Hunk at the table.

Hunk gave him a look. "One would think, that someone would. Especially since it is someone's turn to do the dishes."

Lance gave Hunk a blank look. "It can't be my turn, it was just my turn!"

"Sure, it was your turn, then mine, then Dai's, then Katie's. Then yours..."

"Oh."

Hunk shook his head. "So, Keith Kogane, huh?"

Lance grinned, picturing Keith how he left him, looking fantastic in a pair of black boxers and his own red shirt, his hair all a mess from sleeping. He'd looked like Lance had his way with him and Lance had barely touched him. Lance had plans to touch him more, he would definitely have his way with Keith, just wanted to make sure Keith was ready first. He shook his head, damn, the guy did something to him. "Yeah," he said to Hunk.

Hunk eyed him. "Never thought he was the one night stand kind of guy."

"He's not. We didn't," Lance admitted. "Definitely seeing him again," Lance said, standing up and started collecting various dishes from around the kitchen. "Are there dishes in the living room?"

Hunk nodded but his mouth was open. "You are seeing him again?"

"Yeah," Lance said.

"Right away?"

"I would see him tonight, if I hadn't given my day away for Pidge," Lance said, sighing. "But Shortstuff is more important. Did he blow chunks last night?"

Hunk laughed. "Oh yeah, all over Dai, it was pretty priceless. Katie as she was bathing him, taking care of him and explaining to him why his tummy hurt so much was muttering something killing you and cats?"

Lance winced. "Yeah, I saw that coming. I told him."

"For a genius he's really...well seven sometimes," Hunk said with a grin.

"I know and that you roped me into being responsible for that is disgusting, Hunk."

Hunk shrugged. "I should have let you be expelled then?"

Lance cringed, he wasn't all that fond of how hard most of the Space Academy's classes were, or how strict it all was, and that flying for the Galaxy Garrison and being part of a space Alliance would probably have more and more rules. But he had to fly, it was all he could do, it was all he was good at doing. It was all he had to offer to the world.

"Anyway, I was thinking about staying here, we should put an ad online, and in the Academy paper, as well as the regular paper. A couple of people on campus must want off, you know?"

Lance nodded.

Hunk nodded too. "Mom and Dad, said they'll pick up the slack for us, as long as we have four people here with part time jobs."

Lance nodded again.

"They made me however go talk to the Academy about possibly needing to go back to the dorms in a month."

Lance sighed.

Hunk got up and put a big hand on Lance's shoulder. "Just promise me one thing?"

"What?" Lance said as turned on the water in the sink.

"Don't move in with that gypsy chick with the weird hair and the even weirder vibes, she was always telling me I was going to die soon..."

Lance laughed. "She disappeared, no one knows where she went. I hope she's okay, and she just hated you because you turned her down."

"She had her face painted like an owl and was high on who knows what when she came on to me, how does she remember?"

Lance grinned. "She always remembered."

"Whatever just if you have to crash at your other friends places for a bit, just go to the more sane ones, okay?"

"The sane ones?" Lance gave Hunk a look.

"Okay, the ones that won't possibly get you arrested with them?"

"Oh, those. Yeah, whatever, Hunk," Lance grabbed a few plates and dunked them into the bubbly water. "Speaking of one those, Griffin is working at Dovetails now. Which was really awkward, because I used him as a way to come out to Keith. Then he decided it'd be fun to see him. He was acting a bit weird."

Hunk snorted. "Griffin, how do you tell?"

"He was all over me in the kitchen. Last time I saw him it was just 'Hey, buddy.' Then he was all like who is the guy... Then he just had this weird look when I sent him off on his way, like okay you nosed in, you know what Keith looks like get lost now."

"Sounds normal to me," Hunk said. "I'll go get you the dishes from the living room and Pidge's room."

"Thanks."

"You didn't sleep with Kogane and you are seeing him again, for real?" Hunk said before he left the kitchen.

Lance turned around and grinned. "Never been more serious."

Hunk nodded his head and walked off to do as he said. Lance started to whistle as he did the dishes, and found that he really wanted to call Keith. It was too early to call Keith, he shouldn't do it until after the museum at least. But he could feel his phone in his pocket, he knew Keith's number was in there. With a sneaky photo Lance had taken of him outside before he left, all bedhead adorable that would come up when Keith called him. He should at least call, Keith so had his number.

"Who am I, someone in middle school?" Lance muttered to the dish as he grabbed a towel to dry it with. "Tone it down McClain."

~~.~~

Stella Dewey looked at her watch two hours later, she then picked up her cell phone and walked back over to her first floor room window that looked out over the front steps. She'd woken up because she'd heard laughing, steps and Keith Kogane's voice. It was too juicy not to spy, Keith Kogane had had an overnight visitor, she'd rushed right to the window to see who it was and couldn't believe it. The gall of him, of that damn Lance McClain, staying the night in a dorm like he was allowed, like he hadn't been banned. He should've been expelled, he was going to be before somehow he, his friend Garrett and that little brat had gotten him out of it.

"What the hell, Stella, it's barely eight?" Fargate snapped into his phone.

"You'll never believe who I saw leaving my dormitory at five this morning."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

It was past eight by the time Hunk pulled his truck back into the driveway, Pidge was drooling on Lance's shoulder, sound asleep, having bounced all over the Science Museum like a kangaroo on crack. At least, what Lance figured a kangaroo on crack might look like if they were a seven year old genius.

There was someone sitting on the front steps, Lance for a full minute fooled himself into thinking it could be Keith, who he was still itching to call. He hadn't figured on getting home so damn late, but then he realized it was Griffin and frowned. Hunk made a noise himself as he opened his door and pulled the sleeping Pidge into his arms. "Don't let him, whatever you do," Hunk mumbled.

Lance shook his head, not sure if he was shaking his head at Hunk's advice or at Griffin being there or both. He was tired from being up since five in the morning, he was antsy from wanting to do something all day and he still couldn't do it because now he had another visitor.

Griffin stood up as both he and Hunk approached. "Hey Hunk," he said. "Little tyke out cold? What did you two do to him?"

"Loaded him up on quantum physics at work on display at the Science Museum," Hunk explained. "Always over excites him and he passes out."

Griffin shook his head and glanced at his head. "Super-brained kids these days, huh?"

Lance nodded because he really didn't have anything to say, but he walked past Griffin to unlock the door for Hunk and open it. "Don't wait," he said lowly not knowing what Griffin wanted, he really had no idea how long it'd take for him to get inside.

Hunk nodded.

Shoving his hands into his jeans pockets, Lance turned back around and met Griffin's gaze. Griffin cocked his head toward's Hunk's truck and walked back down toward it, Lance followed him. Griffin pulled down the back and hopped up, legs dangling. Lance followed suit and waited.

"So, I overheard last night you might need a place to crash soon?"

Lance sighed. "Maybe, hoping not."

"My doors always open," Griffin said.

"Yeah, man, I know," Lance laughed, thinking of the revolving door of characters that he'd seen going in and out of Griffin's apartment above Riff's.

"Not what I meant, Lance. Really, for you, there is a whole room. That door that never opens, it's another bedroom. You can have it."

"I thought that was like a closet or something?" Lance said, kind of surprised by how serious Griffin sounded. He'd expected the offer of the bed, Griffin's bed, not a room. He didn't even know there was a room.

"No strings," Griffin said, hands up in the air. "Just wanted to put it out there for you, face to face, that's all. "And I don't do any shifty business in the apartment anymore, not after the last time."

Lance wondered at that but he didn't say anything. "That's a change, I mean, cops have raided your apartment more than once, man."

Griffin who was looking right at him, looked away. "Yeah, well, I decided to grow up, a little bit, not completely. Not selling anything anymore. Just buying, plus you know Riff, she was tired of bailing me out."

"Are you on the level, cause I can't afford to get caught up in some raid, or something. Not like almost happened last time. If Riff hadn't gotten me out of it by talking to that cop... I'd get kicked out of the Academy, one arrest is all it takes."

Headlights blinded them both, they both held up their hands, as Dai's truck, bigger than Hunk's came pulling into the driveway. Griffin blinked a few times and Lance did the same as he tried to adjust his eyes back to the dark, barely lit by the nearby streetlight driveway.

"Griffin?" he asked again.

"Yeah, kid, I promise."

They heard footsteps walking towards them, Lance looked up and then up when Dai appeared. Almost the spitting image of Hunk, except about a foot taller with lighter hair. He looked down at them and gave Lance a look that said. Why are talking to this guy? "Coming in soon, Lance?" he said out loud, crossing his arms against his chest.

Lance felt awkward, his own family never had taken care of him like this, but Hunk's Hunk's treated them like one of them all the time. It always threw him, made him feel really awkward and he wanted to ask why they bothered. "Soon, yeah," he said.

Katie came by, her head just reached above Dai's waist when she had heels on, which was often, she smiled hello to Griffin and crooked a finger at Lance. "I'll be inside, soon, Dai."

Lance sighed, Katie and her damn family too, all about the adopting him. He didn't get it. "Be right back," he mumbled and followed her. She walked into a patch of light, that the streetlight gave off, and she smiled up at him. "Dad said, Griffin came looking for extra work because he owes Riff more money than he work off for her? Do you know what that is about?"

Lance was surprised to hear that he shook his head and glanced over at Griffin. "No, nothing."

"Dad's always had a soft spot for Griffin, since he and Sara went to school together. He and Sara barely talk now but sometimes when he's really low he calls her. That's how he found out Dad was hiring. I just... I want you to be careful okay, something Sara said."

Lance ran his hand through his hair. "What?"

"Griffin talks about you a lot," Katie said.

Lance shrugged. "So?'

"Sara told me Griffin never talks about anything or anyone a lot."

Lance rolled his eyes. "She's never seen him go on about a good beer then."

Katie sighed. "Okay, don't listen, but I told her I warn you."

"I'm warned."

"He's good underneath the rough edges, just... you know he's...Griffin."

Lance shrugged not really sure what Katie meant by that. She sighed and turned, waving at Griffin as she walked by.

Lance made his way back to the truck but stood in front of Griffin instead of hopping up. "I'll have to think about it," he said. "But we're going to try to get roommates first, you know?"

"Yeah, of course." Griffin hopped down off the truck. "Want walk with me a ways?"

Lance shook his head. "No, I, uh I have this call I promised I make and Keith probably thinks I'm blowing him off it's so late..."

"Keith. Hot Asian guy from last night, right?" Griffin said.

"Yeah," Lance said, feeling suddenly shy. "So...I'll see you around."

"Bring him into Riff's next weekend, I'll give you guys free drinks."

Lance thought back to what Katie said about Riff but he bit his tongue. Griffin was a pretty prideful guy, he didn't want to put him on the spot. "We can pay," he said instead.

"See ya, kid," Griffin said, touching Lance's arm for a beat before leaving.

Lance watched Griffin until he disappeared around the corner, shook off the weird feeling that settled over him the entire conversation. He guessed it was worry due to Griffin's own weirdness and everyone warning him off from the guy. Not that he could blame him, just being in that apartment on the wrong night had almost cost him the Academy. It was always almost something costing him his future, Lance thought.

He pushed open the door and walked up the stairs straight into the kitchen. Dai and Hunk were talking over their days, each with a huge chicken leg in their mouths. Lance grabbed a beer from the fridge and then walked out onto the back deck. Pulled his cell phone out of his back pocket, pulled up Keith's name and hit call.

"Hello?" Lance tension in shoulders just release, it was that voice. The voice that he knew so well from over the radio, sniping right back at him about how he could out fly him with his eyes closed. Keith wished, Lance grinned.

"Hey, where are you?" Lance asked, sliding down so he was sitting on the deck, his long legs bent in front of him, he toed off his sneakers.

"Dorm room."

"Still wearing my shirt?" Lance asked.

"Uh," he heard Keith's breathing quicken, he could see the flushed cheeks and Lance sighed into the phone.

"You so are, aren't you?"

"Yeah," Keith admitted. "I just put it back on, I had to leave the dorm today, though."

"What did you do? I learned more about quantum phenomena than one ever need to know at the Science Museum today."

"Sparred with Sven, went to the library to look up sources on for my paper due for Global History class, spent most of the day there. Then I met Sven for dinner at Lena's."

"You two go to Lena's a lot."

"Amelia, Sven's crush works there."

"Oh," Lance said. "I get it then, what about you didn't you have any crushes you followed around campus. It's not Sven is it?"

Keith laughed and Lance closed his eyes, it gave him goosebumps, it was deep throaty laugh. "No, no crush on Sven. You're the only guy I've got a crush on."

Lance grinned. "Well, yeah, I am awesome."

Keith laughed louder. "Modest too."

"But seriously, no other crushes before laid eyes on me?"

Keith fell silent, Lance waited. "Hey, I won't tell a soul if it's embarrassing."

"Uh, I, um. Major Taylor is hot," Keith whispered.

"Yeah, he is, he's straight though, or immune to my charms."

"You didn't!"

"What flirt my ass with him, hell yeah, he's hot. And I figured it couldn't hurt right, the most teachers do when it gets to them is get all flustered and threaten you with detention for being a smartass."

"You're crazy," Keith laughed.

"Maybe," Lance said. "But my life is fun."

"You were at the museum all this time?"

"We pulled in around eight, I would've called you then but Griffin was outside."

"Hot bartender guy, he stalking you?" Keith asked his voice only kind of laughing.

"No, no. He's not an issue, Keith. Really. He was just being a friend. He and I are friends, more than... you know that other thing," Lance made a face at himself, what was he babbling. "He was just offering me a room."

"A room," Keith asked confused then he remembered. "Oh, yeah, the house situation with two of your roommates getting married?"

"Yeah, I guess Benjamin told him. Griffin and his oldest were friends back when they went to high school. He calls her when he's really down, guess he got in touch recently."

"You've got a pretty tight knit circle, huh?"

Lance shrugged, then remembered that Keith couldn't see him. "Not really. Sometimes...sometimes they make me feel awkward."

"Why?"

"I don't know, the whole tight knit family vibe freaks me out. I mean I'm grateful and all for Hunk, and his brother, Katie's nice. But it's just weird. I'm used to watching out for myself, you know?"

"I guess, sounds nice to me, I always wanted a brother or a sister. I've kind of started thinking of Sven as a brother. A really annoying one," Keith muttered, and Lance heard a rustling and something thumped. "Sorry, I just had an urge to throw a book at him."

Lance laughed. "Was he making fun of us?"

"Yeah, he was."

"Next week, we should come back here, we can crash on the couch in the living room. No will bother us until morning."

Keith was quiet for a beat or two, Lance held his breath. "Next week huh?"

"Yeah? You want to right? Go out, come back here?"

"Yeah," Keith said low and breathy directly into Lance's ear, which went directly to Lance's dick.

"You are too sexy," Lance groaned.

"I am?" Keith said making it sound like accusation against Lance.

"Yeah, next flight class, I'm going to have issues flying while doing my usual banter with you."

"Oh God, no...you can't. I'll crash. I will crash for real this time," Keith laughed.

Lance laughed. "No way, you're too good for that."

The door to the deck slid open, Dai looked out at him, Lance held up his hand. "Hold on a second, Keith," he looked up. "Yeah?"

"Remember you have to be at the scrapyard by five tomorrow, you're covering my shift and doing yours. Get some sleep."

Lance nodded and sighed. "Hey, Keith I was just reminded I suck for being a nice guy."

"How does that work?"

"I have to get up even earlier than we did today, tomorrow for work. Covering for Dai so he can do wedding stuff with Katie."

"Oh, right and building the archway."

"Yeah," Lance said.

"Okay, so..."

"I'll sleep in your shirt," Lance said.

"Yeah."

"And nothing else."

"Uh," Keith breathed.

"Night, Keith."

"Yeah, you too."

Lance forced himself to hang up, he closed his eyes, and he sighed. It felt like it was taking years for the weekend to end and get to Monday when he could see Keith again. He stood up and made his way down the all to his room. Hunk was on his bed, reading one of his text books. Lance groaned, he needed to study too, do some homework. "Crap, I forgot about homework, I'll have to bring it tomorrow."

Hunk laughed.

"It's not funny," Lance undressed down to his boxers, then pulled on Keith's blue shirt, climbed into his bed, and kicked off his boxers and tossed them onto the floor.

Hunk gave him a look.

"I made a threat on the phone, I'm keeping it."

Hunk rolled his eyes.

"Next week can you cover for Saturday, at the scrapyard, so I can see Keith?"

Hunk eyes left his book. "You really are serious about Kogane aren't you?'

Lance nodded as he beat his pillow into submission.

"I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks," Lance said and started to reach to turn off the light closest to his bed.

"What did Griffin want?"

"To offer me the other room in his apartment."

"He has another room?"

"He says he does."

"I thought that was a closet."

"Me too," Lance said with a shrug.

"Huh," Hunk muttered. "I really hope you don't have to take it."

Lance didn't say anything, he had a bad feeling they were going to get to keep the house after Dai and Katie got married and moved into their own place on their own. It was just going to be the way it was. Hunk and Pidge would be okay in the dorm without him, Lance thought. Besides the only thing he really cared about right now was figuring out how to see as much as Keith Kogane as he possibly could.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Keith kept dunking his tea bag, up and down, in his green tea. Up and down, up and down. As he did it he stared at the door to Lena's, watching as it opened and people who were not Lance walked in. They walked in and weren't Lance, that is all he knew, he didn't know if they were male, or female. He didn't note if they old or young, or pretty, or handsome. He didn't notice anyone who was leaving the casual eatery because they were going in the wrong direction. He dunked the tea bag up and down.

Suddenly Sven's hand slapped over his hand, shocking Keith and upending the mug, spilling the lukewarm tea and nearly causing the mug to roll off the table. Somehow Keith grabbed it by the handle just before it hit the floor. "What are you doing Sven!"

"Take a break from the dunking and the staring at the door," Sven said, looking unamused. "He had his roommate tell you he'd be here, so I think we can be sure he'll get here. So stop it. Just relax. Go get another tea."

Keith sat down. "Not thirsty," he muttered, his dark eyes going to the door.

Sven said something under his breath in his native tongue, Keith didn't care, he'd never felt so impatient in his life. He'd always prided himself on being a patient person. He didn't mind waiting, he had a clear mind, he lived in the moment. He was ready for anything, Lance had turned it all upside down. He should be enraged, he should be mad, but he didn't care at all. Keith just wanted to see him again, see that damn smirk, see his damn eyes. More than that he wanted to touch him. Touch him and see if everything that had happened on their date was still there.

Hot heat.

The door opened, the battered blue helmet was the first thing Keith saw, then a battered camouflaged backpack on his back, his bangs were in his eyes as he scanned the room from the wrong side first. Then he pushed them out of his eyes when he saw Keith, smiled and Keith grinned back. He stood up as Lance got closer.

They stood there, by Keith and Sven's table, grinning at each other until Sven cleared his throat. Keith noticed that Lance blushed as well as him, then Keith slid into the booth and Lance slid in next to him, stuck his helmet and bag on the floor under the table, and put his left hand on Keith's knee.

"Hi, Sven," Lance said.

"Lance," Sven said.

Then Lance turned to face Keith, Keith smiled and stared at him, he was a bit scruffy again, Keith noticed, he must go for that look. It was a good look, Keith thought. Lance leaned in and kissed him quickly on the lips and only backed away a whisper. "Hey."

"Hey."

Then they stared again. Keith moved his right hand on top of Lance's, he grinned. Lance's own grin widened. Sven made a weird gagging noise. Lance's right hand came up and gave him the finger. Sven laughed. "I'm going to go see if Amelia can take a break."

"Ask her out yet?"

Sven paled, glared at Keith his brown eyes turning a bit black. Keith shrugged. Sven didn't say anything else and walked over to the counter. Lance laughed. "I guess not."

"He says he only asks girls out when it's a sure thing."

"Amelia isn't?"

Keith shrugged. "How do you know?"

Lance looked at him for awhile. "I don't know, I just go in, and if they hem or haw, I cajole and charm until it's a yes."

"What if they say no?"

Lance winked at Keith. "Like that has ever happened."

Keith believed it, he couldn't see how anyone could say no to Lance. Keith looked down at their hands, they were holding hands now, Lance's palm felt hot against his, Keith wanted to kiss him. Really kiss him but they were in public, at a window booth, surrounded by people. He swallowed down the urge, and tried to think of something to say. "How did the arch building go?" he asked because he hadn't heard from Lance at all Sunday.

"Sunday sucked. I would have called you but Pidge woke up right after Hunk and I fell asleep with our cell phones. He wanted to see what would kill one faster, sinking it in hot water or cold water. Turns out hot water, which was my phone. Luckily it was new, still under warranty. Picking up a new one after my last class, same number and everything. So that was just the start of the day, waking up to a dead boiled phone."

Keith laughed.

"Yeah," Lance sighed. "He's acting out. Mostly at me, like it's going to be my fault I won't get to stay living with him and Hunk."

Keith frowned. "That's messed up, I mean not Pidge, that makes sense. But the living thing."

Lance sighed. "I might have a place to go, still kind of unsure about it. I don't know."

"What?"

"Griffin, offered me a room. A real room, no strings attached. I mean he's a good guy, just a friend. It's tempting but I don't know. He's says he's cleaned up his act, but I don't know if can risk it."

"Risk it?" Keith asked, not sure if he liked the sound of this at all. Not sure if he liked the idea of Lance casually talking about someone he'd been with as being a possible roommate at all, yet it was the words ITALIC risk it ITALIC that really made Keith's heart start thumping.

"See, you ask that, looking at me with that face. You've never been in trouble a day in your life have you?"

Keith felt like he'd just been insulted for some reason. "I've been in trouble, I got detention a few times in high school before I transferred here.."

"For?"

"Kicking a bully's butt," Keith said.

"Who were they bullying?"

"Either me or someone who couldn't fight back, but it would be me who got in trouble."

"You're Aunt and Uncle, they got that though right?"

Keith nodded.

"Yeah, you got in trouble for being the hero," Lance laughed.

"You did too," Keith pointed out.

"An asshole hero," Lance muttered. "Anyway, uh, Griffin used to sell drugs out of his apartment."

Keith's eyes widened.

"So I was there, still asleep, after..." Lance let the silence fill in the blanks, and Keith blushed and felt a surge of jealousy at the thought and shifted himself closer to Lance in the booth. "I was dozing in the bed, there were people there. There are always people there, in and out, I never thought about it really. Anyway suddenly the cops are busting down the door, arresting everyone in the place, including me."

"But," Keith felt panicked. "But if you got arrested you'd be tossed out, no warning, nothing, one arrest and your gone."

"Yeah. Riff she talked the lead cop out of bring in me and booking me."

"Riff? As in Riff's? Riff is a woman."

"Oh, yeah, she's one hell of a woman, she's...kind of scary sometimes. Cool too. Anyway, she opened her door, her place is across the hall. Griffin was talking a mile a minute to this one cop, Lieutenant Coffey about me. I could hear him, he just kept saying, 'Let the kid from my room go, he has nothing to do with this, you gotta let him go, Coffey, he's from the Academy let him go okay, he doesn't do drugs and he's dumb enough to sell him.' Over and over again, Coffey didn't seem to buy it. I was just trying to stay quiet, pray and figure out if I could make a break for it. They hadn't cuffed me or anything yet, just had us all against the hallway wall. Griffin saw Riff and he looked at her just said my name. Then suddenly Riff was telling Coffey to let me go. I didn't even know she knew my name. I'd seen her in his apartment, seen them talking, I think they're pretty good friends and stuff. Next thing I know, Coffey is walking me to the parking lot, when I get on my bike he tells me. 'You got lucky kid, that I know Riff don't lie.'"

Keith shook is head. "You do get yourself into some messes, don't you."

Lance smirked. "Yeah, think you can handle it?"

Keith nodded.

"Yeah, Griffin said he's not dealing anymore, I don't know. I heard through Katie that he's working at her dad's because he owes Riff more than he work off... I've got to talk to her. You going to be there Thursday, I've worked it out with Hunk, I can meet you there."

Keith grinned. "I can be there, if you're there."

Lance leaned in and kissed him, Keith found himself grabbing hold of Lance's shirt collar to keep the kiss going longer when he felt Lance pulling away, when he let go, Lance was staring at him, eyes wide, irises dark and with an amused half smile on his face. "You are bossy," Lance said.

~~.~~

Lance drove Keith back to campus on his Kessel, they hopped off it together in the parking lot and headed toward the building, they had classes in the same wing. They walked side by side, practically hip to hip, all the way into the building. Then inside the building the did the same thing, making people get out of their way and walk around them. A few did double takes seeing them together, seeing their heads together.

Just before they got to the classroom that was where Lance had to leave Keith, Lance grabbed Keith by his arm and tugged him into a supply closet. He pulled on the string that turned on the bare bulb light in the tiny room, shoved Keith against a wall and kissed him soundly. As he expected after the shock of the moment wore off, Keith grabbed onto him and started to make his play for control.

Lance fought him, for the fun of it, he pushed up Keith's shirt wanting to feel skin and deepening the kiss not leading Keith take it where he'd been aiming to go. Keith had started to kind of growl and then moaned. Lance smiled and Keith met his tongue, and started to push his hand underneath Lance's shirt as well, hands wrapping around his back and pulling Lance into him, so they were both almost plastered against the wall.

Then Lance heard the warning bell, somehow he heard it, he was amazed. He pulled back, winked at Keith. "See you later," he opened the door and walked out. He felt Keith on his heels, heard him fixing his clothes and felt a strong hand grab him by his jean's belt loops and pull him backward.

He laughed as he went, then he was staring into Keith's dark eyes and really wishing they could skip their classes. He was about to suggest it when Keith put his hand up and his finger against Lance's lips.

"I'm getting you back for that," he said in a voice that both threat and promise, and Lance now was going to have to hold his book on his lap the rest of his class because he'd gone from semi-hard to totally hard in that nano-second. The real problem was there wasn't a book for boxing class.

"Uh, already did," Lance called after Keith, as Keith went off down the hall toward his classroom.

Lance turned back toward the room where the boxing class was located and walked right into Fargate Gaskill. Who was in his boxing class, who Lance had gotten to punch out more than once under the guidance of an instructor more than once. Fargate though was looking at him now with a please smug smile on his face.

"Hi, Lance."

"Uh, Hi," Lance said pushing past him into the room.

"New girlfriend, I see."

Lance rolled his eyes. "That was Keith Kogane," he muttered.

"Oh right. With his hair and his preferences really whats' the difference?"

Lance swallowed the urge to punch him before class started, maybe he'd get lucky and get paired with him again. Then he could knock the homophonic douchebag to the ground. "He's definitely a man, trust me."

"I heard that Dai Garrett bought a house."

Lance dropped his bags, Fargate was good for one thing, erection gone. "How would you hear anything about Dai Garret?"

"My aunt is a real estate agent in town. She likes to do it in her spare time, when she isn't attending benefits with Uncle. You know the Governor."

Seriously, Lance thought, was he seriously stuck in this conversation? "Right, yeah, the vote went stupid last November didn't it."

Fargate's eyes flashed at him but then he gave Lance a weird smile. "She said he bought a nice two bedroom home, a starter house she called it. He said he was getting married. But I thought, but wait Lance and Hunk live with his brother, that is how they live off campus and take care of the the br-genius. How is Pidge? I only catch brief glimpses of him in hallways these days."

Protectiveness surged through Lance, stood to his full height, crossed his arms against his chest and glared at Fargate. "Stay away from him Gaskill. Don't think just because there is a chance he may move back to the dorms, it's open season on him again. Hunk will be with him. And I might not be in the dorm, but I'll be around." Lance then walked away to start taping up his hands.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

_Thursday _

Keith hoped he looked okay; actually he hoped Lance didn't think he was a complete dork. He was wearing the same damn jeans from their first date, and Lance's red shirt. He'd washed all his clothes yesterday, looked through everything as he put them away and realized - again - he had no good clothes for dating someone as hot and always so well put together as Lance.

Lance always looked like he came out of a magazine print ad where they needed a bad boy to sling his arm around the too thin female model. Casual cool, to a T. Keith didn't get it why Lance still kept calling him. Or calling him back. Or texted him from his classes. Or was being even more competitive than ever in Flight Instruction.

That was fun though, it was comforting that nothing changed between them when they were in their own cockpit, communicating only through a radio. Yet it had changed it was more charged, it was definitely flirting banter now, or maybe it always had been but Keith had been to naive to realize and Lance had just been flirting cause he was Lance. Now he was flirting because he wanted Keith.

A part of Keith was really scared when they got past he heavy petting, past all the teasing and they, he blushed just thinking about it; he really hoped after he and Lance had sex Lance didn't go onto the next conquest. Keith couldn't help but think it, Lance had his reputation by being a guy who went from one person to the next. What Keith knew about his gay relationships he'd picked up they weren't different from his female relationships. Short, quick, casual. Keith was probably lasting longer than most. He was going to enjoy it, he'd told himself, he was going to hold on, take what was offered, and lose his virginity. He was choosing it. He knew he'd get hurt, his heart had already latched onto Lance. Latched onto that shy half-smile he sometimes gave Keith when they were talking about nothing and everything. How Lances hand felt when it held his own, how it felt to press his body against Lance's back on the Kessel, Keith knew he was falling for him. If he already hadn't. He knew that Lance cared more than he'd admit about his strange roommate situation, about how he had this weird family now and that it just made him feel awkward. Lance had shared things with him...

And that gave Keith a bit of hope but he kept trying to quash it down, just in case it was false and Lance wasn't falling for him back.

The Kessel's purr made Keith look up and a few moments later, Lance was stopping in front of the steps. He hopped off of it, grabbing both helmets. Keith stood up and met him about half way and found himself getting kissed, helmets clanking behind his back making he laugh into it. Lance grinned as he pulled back. "Not my smoothest," Lance said giving Keith his helmet, the red helmet Keith amended in his mind, not his. "Guess what?"

"What?" Keith asked.

Lance dangled his keys in front of Keith's face. "You're driving."

Keith looked at the keys, the Kessel and then at Lance, his hazel eyes bright, the shy half smile on his face. Then he did it again, taking it all in and he was taking too long because Lance stepped back a bit and started to move away. "Unless you don't want to..."

"Yes," Keith snatched the keys. "Hell, yes," he grinned. "If I don't want to, are you crazy?"

"Well, you were just staring into space, there, Keith."

"I was surprised. I got the impression no one drives your girl but you."

"Damn straight no one drives her but me. But I'm making an exception," Lance said, giving Keith another shy half smile before he pulled on his helmet.

Keith nodded, amazed, happy, falling more. "Mind if I take the long to Riff's?" he asked.

"Fine with me," Lance said, his voice muffled a bit by the helmet.

Keith felt like it was Christmas morning, as he moved astride the Kessel in the front, the seat warm from Lance being there. He felt Lance move behind him, Lance's added weight to the bike frame and then Lance's hands were on him. Hot hands against his jeans and Keith swallowed. Lance's touch always instantly excited him, crap, how did Lance drive with Keith touching him? Keith had seen what his touch did to him, he saw more than once after lunch this week, when they'd find someplace to make out before they had to head back to their classes, or in the case of today and tomorrow Flight Instruction. They got to walk there together.

Keith took a deep breath, held for the count of three and then released. He started the Kessel, the engine vibrated under him and felt like an old friend, he'd been on the back of it everyday this week, it did feel like home in a way he was trying not to think about. Lance pressed his fingers into him to let him know he was excited for him too, Keith felt the thrill and despite the good boy part of his personality that told him to obey the campus speed limit, he took off at the high speed Lance always did because he was driving a Kessel for crying out loud. You didn't go slow on a Kessel.

The quickest way to Riff's was to go right out of the Academy, hop on the highway and stay there for a few exits, hop off and go through a few streets, left, right, right, left. There you were. Keith had no desire to that, there was of course the more scenic way. Head down to the beach, windy curvy roads, a dirt road short cut or two, then wind your way up into the portion of the city where Riff's located.

Definitely the way Keith was going.

He knew the Kessel was awesome, he knew how it took curves, he knew Lance drove it too fast. He was driving it just as fast he found, with ease because there was no way not too if you loved speed, if you loved to fly, if you loved the feel of wind surrounding you. Lance felt amazing pressed against him instead of the other way around, it was a toss up which sensation Keith loved more, he didn't want to make a choice so he didn't.

Despite taking the long way, he found himself pulling into a spot behind the industrial looking building that held Riff's. He turned off the engine with sigh and his shoulders drooped, he felt Lance's weight leave the Kessel but he didn't move. He was sad the ride was over, he pulled off his helmet, twisted and put where it hooked onto the bike. Pulled out the keys but still stayed in the seat. He was waiting for Lance's laugh to snap him out of his post-ride fit of maudlinness.

Instead a palm landed between his shoulder blades, fingers pushed away the hair against his neck and a mouth pressed against his skin of the back of his neck, Keith shivered and felt Lance's weight on the bike again, but he wasn't completely on the bike again. Lance moved his hand that was on Keith's back, snaked it around his front and pulled, Keith bent back easily, always pliable for Lance, and found himself looking into amused hazel eyes.

"I'll let you drive her again you know. It wasn't like a one time deal you know?"

If anything Lance looked even hotter upside down Keith thought for a second, he smiled at idiocy. "I think I kind of love your bike," he admitted.

Lance moved his hand to Keith's mouth, thumb against his bottom lip tracing it, staring at Keith. "So, that's it isn't it? You went out with me for my ass and you've stayed with me for my bike," he said, but Lance didn't sound teasing, his voice was all husky and low, and before Keith could even think of an answer. Like should he tease him back or admit as much of the truth that he dared, Lance bent his head down and kissed him. Keith reached up, left hand grabbing Lance's face, his right hand trapped between their bodies. Lance pulled back, but only enough to stand up and physical help Keith get his ass off the Kessel, hands on his hips, pushing up at the shirt, then they were pressed front to front, kissing, tongues dueling, Lance's hands gripping Keith's ass for a long moment, before moving back to his hips. Then they were moving, Keith shot a look to Lance, Lance was pushing them backwards, Lance winked and Keith felt brick wall behind him. Lance bent down and started to kiss, lick and suck on his neck, and Keith found himself laughing, when the sucking kept up. "What are you doing?"

"Making sure you're marked, so everyone in there leaves you the hell alone," Lance murmured, biting a little.

Keith leaned forward and bit Lance's earlobe, "I think I'm the one who should worry."

"Uh huh," Lance said. "I don't believe you for a minute about how no one comes onto you, Kogane. You're hotter than hot," Lance pulled back to look him in the eyes. "I don't like sharing, either."

Keith hands were on Lance's hips and they tightened on the words, Lance looked so serious, he wanted to believe him but could he? "Yeah?"

"Am I selfish?" Lance laughed, "You have met me right?" he asked, bending down to kiss Keith again.

Keith opened his opened his mouth, kissing Lance back and thought, "Please be selfish about me, please, please, please." And as he thought it he ended up turning the tables and slamming Lance against the wall, and being the one to decide when they'd come up for air.

"Bossy," Lance whispered with a grin when they broke apart. "Come on, Boss, I want to talk to Riff without Griffin noticing," he started walking toward the entrance to the apartment buildings, where there was a back entrance to the bar.

Keith nodded, remembering that was part of the reason they were hear tonight, but not the only reason. He knew it wasn't the only reason. Lance opened the door to the bar a bit, looked around. "Huh, it's pretty crowded for a Thursday, Griffin's working. Go in and say you're waiting for me or something, will you?"

"At the bar, what make small talk with Griffin?"

"Uh, you don't have to if you don't want too. I mean, if Riff clears him, I might take him up on his offer. Cause this place isn't that far from the Academy if you don't take the scenic route, and it might be the only offer I get I can afford."

"This is only if you and Hunk don't find roommates right?"

"Yeah, but we're not. We've had a couple offers but they freak out about Pidge, when we tell them. Or, they don't make enough to cover what we need them to cover. Or, they don't want to share a room with anyone else. It's a hassle. His parents can't cover us, they can't really help us at all but they were willing to try if we could find roommates who could at least cover most of what Dai and Katie put in. Which is impossible."

Keith sighed and he opened the door and looked at Griffin. The man was hot, he was also a man, there was no hiding that he was older than them. He had life experience written all over him and from what Lance had told Keith, he gave Keith a bad vibe, but he was offering Lance help too. Keith sighed, he wasn't a person who'd been around long to tell Lance who or who not to trust. But maybe he could suss out something, maybe if he figured out more about who this guy was, Lance would listen to him. "I'll talk to him, I guess."

"I won't sleep with him, you know."

Keith turned and stared at Lance, wanting to say he didn't think that was possibility but that wasn't true at all. It was his biggest damn worry. "I, uh. Really?"

"I'm waiting for you," Lance said. "Then I figure you and I, going to be so fucking hot who wants to stop doing that," he grinned, grabbed Keith and kissed him one more time really fast. "I'll try not to be too long."

Keith watched Lance vanish feeling gobsmacked, what had he said, what was going on? He felt like his cheeks was burning and he wasn't really sure if he'd heard or processed any of that right. But he had told Lance he'd talk with Griffin and he had his own reasons for doing it too, so he walked into the bar, and made his way over to the bar.

He found an empty seat near where Griffin was working sat down and waited to be noticed. Griffin was a good bartender he always noticed a new patron quickly. Within a minute Griffin was in front of him, toothy bartender smile at the ready but it fell from his face when he saw Keith. Then he gave a sort of strained smile Keith thought. "Uh, Kent right?"

"Keith," Keith said. "Keith Kogane."

"Right, what will it be?"

"Uh, I'll just have a orange soda while I wait for Lance," Keith said.

"Orange soda it is," Griffin said. "So, he's meeting you here, in a few?"

"I'm early, I'm always early."

Griffin put the glass of orange soda in front of Keith and checked down the bar. "Really, I've never been early a day in my life," he said.

"It causes some waiting," Keith said, feeling lame.

Griffin shrugged. "Being late can too, but waiting is what it is. So you and Lance, been going out a bit now, haven't you?"

"Not really," Keith said, feeling his cheeks go hot, hopefully it wasn't to obvious given the dark lighting of the club and his skin tone. "He's pretty stuck at home and we both have a lot of classes. We haven't actually be out again until tonight."

"And he ain't here yet," Griffin said. "He'll show though, he acts the bad boy, gets people to buy it too, but really he's got the softest heart a guy can have. I think he's like those people they write myths about. I sometimes have these prophetic dreams, nothing much mind you, never about myself. Dreamt my sister would marry a guy who hit her, she did, I tried to warn her. Knew my high school girl Sara, that be Benjamin's oldest from Dovetails, she'd be happy with the guy she met. Dreamt a few guys I slept with would get a job, or a won some lottery money, find some money under their couch. Dumb things. Dream I have about Lance though, it's recurring, scares me."

"Scared you?"

"It was fragmented, all in pieces, different you know. He'd be dodging fire, there be some cloaked figure with a staff, cradling a dead man in his arms, something with a flying red lion. A volcano. Other random images, nothing in any kind of order. I always wake up when I see the snakes though, sometimes right away, sometimes I see more. Dreams make me worry about him. Worry about what he's going to see out there when you kids graduate, that war I guess it gets worse and not better."

Keith shook his head, skeptical, wondering what he'd taken before he had the dream. "Had it lately?"

"No, but it's the kind of thing that sticks with you. Why I wonder if he's meant to be some hero or something. Or, maybe it's what I want instead of the snakes getting him. Worry about him, you know, why I offered him the room. Beside that roommate of his and the extended family of Benjamin's he doesn't have anyone."

"Has me," Keith said.

"Well, you're new, didn't you just say so?"

Keith nodded but he looked Griffin in the eye. "Don't think I'm going anywhere though."

Griffin stared right back at Keith, then he nodded, looked down the bar again. "Be right back."

It was strange but Keith suddenly believed it, he wasn't going anywhere, he was staying in Lance's life. He didn't know what would happen with them, he still felt completely gobsmacked about what Lance had said before he left to go upstairs. Griffin was impossible to read but he seemed to be saying he wanted to watch Lance's back. Keith wasn't sure what to make of Griffin, or why he'd told him about the dream he had about Lance now and again.

"So, Keith," Griffin said, putting a refill of orange soda in front of him. "How did you meet Lance, you two share some class on how to fight Drules together?"

"We're in Flight Instruction together. He saved my ass and we finally officially met."

"Officially? Oh wait," Griffin grinned. "You're the one he told me about, the one he likes to egg on over the radio to give himself a challenge in flight class. Yeah, he said you're the only other guy who knows how to fly."

Keith grinned because it was true, and he liked the idea of Lance telling people that even before they really spoke. "Yeah. It's true. I was up in a fighter that was falling apart. Radio was only working on a shortwave, fire I couldn't see because the system was all fowled out. He saved my ass. Then we finally met. Usually I just saw his feet as they disappeared around a corner cause he had to get home."

"Yeah, the little guy. He complains about him nonstop."

"He loves him," Keith said.

Griffin nodded and then studied Keith. "You aren't his norm."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning, you aren't disposable."

Keith tried to play it nonchalant, like he didn't care one way or the other. "I don't think he's disposable either."

"Only idiots would think that about Lance."

"He said you gave him your number," Keith said.

Griffin laughed. "Yeah, I've been told he likes to use me to come out to guys. Says it's an easy way to slip it into conversation. I definitely gave him my number. He kept coming up to the bar, to get drinks for him the guy he was here with, only he was flirting with this girl who game here with a few friends. It was amazing to watch, he gay friend getting mad at him for flirting with the girl, Lance pointing around and saying there was only one hot guy in the place... I saw he meant me. No way I wasn't going to take him up on it, well, you've seen him Keith. You know."

Keith picked up his soda and drank, yeah he knew, Griffin didn't seem like he would turn Lance down if Lance wanted him now either. "You still want him?"

Griffin smirked at Keith. "Of course. But it doesn't matter, he's made it clear. With you around, he's got eyes for no one else. Besides, what he and I had was casual. It was sex between friends. We can be friends without the sex."

Keith couldn't imagine ever casually having sex with someone, yet he knew he was going to sleep with Lance and risk it not meaning as much to Lance as it would to him... his heart thumped in his ears. He didn't want to read into what Lance had said earlier outside, he didn't want to read into the Kessel, driving it, it being more than a one time deal. But he was, and he was hoping.

He was jealous of this guy, of Griffin, in front of him who had already had Lance, so easily, so casually, and he hated him a little bit for it too. Keith had to face it he'd already fallen hard and fast. He was in love with Lance.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Riff's apartment was a mess. Lance sat on her couch taking it in, thinking he'd had it all wrong. He'd thought it be spotless, everything in its place, everything where it belonged. Riff had everything together, her life was in order. She owned her own business, she had a place of her own. She helped out other people who didn't have their life together. Riff wasn't the mess, everyone around her was.

Riff walked back out of her kitchen with two beers, she put one down in front of him, sat down opposite on a chair, after moving a pile of books. She was spotless, long raven dark hair, same shade as Keith's falling down to her waist. Glasses framing light blue eyes, she wore a simple black dress over an amazing body. Lance never had pinpointed a guess on her age, though, there were times when he looked at her thought she couldn't be over twenty-five, and there were other times when she seemed older than everyone else in the room. So of course she was somewhere in between.

"This is about Griffin," she said, didn't ask.

Lance nodded, feeling really out of his league with Riff. The only time he'd spent with her at been the brief time she'd taken him aside with her, her hand strong on his arm feeling like a lifeline that night when the cops were going to haul everyone in Griffin's apartment for drugs. They hadn't spoken one word, but he had vague memories of her telling the cop things about him that few people knew. Had Griffin told her?

"He means it," she said. "He's turning another leave, been working rather hard to, got himself in trouble again in the middle of it of course. As he does. He hasn't been able to pay me rent since he got arrested this last time, and his bail money and the lawyer weren't easy..." She shook her head.

Lance stared at her. "Why do you keep bailing him out?

"Griffin's important to me." Riff smiled. "We all have people we can't turn our backs on Lance, he's mine. It's because with all the faults, and there are a lot, he's a good guy somewhere underneath all the crazy. And now I have an indentured servant for what looks like life."

"He's not dealing?" Lance asked, needing to know straight out.

"No."

"There is an entire bedroom over there I've never seen?"

"Yes."

"When he said no strings, did he mean it?"

Riff took her first drink from her beer, then sat it down on the table. "No such thing, Lance, and I know you know that."

Lance took his own swig of beer, swallowing it down and he tried to think about what to ask next, what to say next? He wasn't sure what he was looking for from Riff. Or if what he was looking for was possible for him to find. What he wanted was for Dai and Katie to get married and stay in the house with him and Hunk, not go off and be newlyweds on their own. It was selfish. It was wrong, but it was what he wanted. It would mean that he got to keep the first real true friend he'd ever made in Hunk. He got to keep Pidge, who for whatever damn reason looked up at him, and liked him. He got to keep the extended family that was the Garrets and the Jeremiah's. It was awkward, it drove him crazy, he complained about them all the time. He always had to run away at some point every month, sometimes more than once, Sometimes he on his Kessel and drive away from it all. He made Hunk cover for him more than not with Pidge. But it was a place over his head, with little worry and with people who liked him.

The second he lost that roof over his head, the second it would all fall apart.

Griffin was the second best offer. Griffin was his only other offer. Lance needed to know something that would make him feel a little more at ease about it and a lot less antsy about it all. It wasn't that he didn't trust Griffin. As a friend he trusted Griffin, he'd turn to him for a favor if Griffin could help him in a heartbeat, he'd had in the past and he'd never been turned away or disappointed. He trusted Griffin as far as Griffin could trust himself - Griffin was his own worse enemy, he told that Lance once when Lance had come to him after getting himself in a jam and telling Griffin he was always getting himself in trouble.

"Don't be like me, kid. Don't be your own worst enemy, you'll never win the war."

Lance guessed, what he wanted to know was if Griffin's war was at a low or something. Lance stared at Riff, trying to figure out exactly how you asked that question.

"Griffin, he talks, you know that. He talks about you. More than you might think, Lance. He wants you safe. He wants you okay, he knows the situation is precarious right now, and unlikely to turn out how you want. So he's offering you the room, he means it. He wants you to have a place to come too, if nothing else. It's my place, really, the man isn't paying rent, you won't have too either. So you'll be my guest, under my protection. I'll keep your safe."

"Why would you want to do that?" Lance asked, responding to Riff putting herself out there for him, he wasn't much past an acquaintance to her. It shocked him when Hunk who now had known him for three years still stuck his neck out for him. Why would a stranger?

Riff drank her beer and studied him. "I've watched you. You've been walking in out of my joint since your first year at the Academy, in and out of that apartment. You've been there for Griffin a night or two when he was dumb, high on something he shouldn't have taken. I saw you that night the cops came, Griffin shouting for me to help you before I helped him. Never before had I heard him put someone else first. I figure it all adds up to you being somebody I watch out for. I have Griffin on the list, why not you. Plus there are Griffin's dreams to take into account."

"His stupid dreams?"

"His stupid dreams," Riff said with half smile. "I've seen to many of his dreams come true to discount his dreams on you. Though they are bizarre."

"Yeah, whatever," Lance said. "I just, there is no chance of me getting arrested if I move in with him?"

"There is always a chance, this isn't the best part of town. And, I don't know how stupid you are capable of being, but you have a dream and I don't see you letting that slip away."

"No, no way," Lance said.

Riff stood up and waited, Lance realized she was waiting for him to follow her lead, so he stood up as well. "Griffin will follow your lead, Lance. But don't forget that he'll also be selfish, it's who he is and we can't change him completely. He'll be who he is." As she spoke she walked to her door and Lance followed her. Then she opened the door and said. " And keep in mind this one thing..."

Lance stepped over the threshold and into the hallway, waiting for her to finish her sentence, he turned and looked down at her, into her blue eyes. "What?"

"Griffin is in love with you." Riff said holding his gaze for a full beat to let it the gravity of what she said sink in. Then she shook her head at him, leaned up on her toes and kissed his cheek and then shut her door in his face.

Lance stood there, staring at the dark wood of her door not sure if he felt more confused or more clear than when he'd walked in. He now knew it was true that Griffin owed her money, it explained the other job, Griffin wanted to pay her back in cash as well as in work. It was why he was at Dovetails, calling in favors from Sara. If Riff said Griffin was working on going straight then it was true, Griffin was working on it, and Lance was relatively safe. Riff had given him her protection that meant something around here, in this place, in this area. He knew men bigger than Hunk that ran scared at her name.

It was the last thing she said that was crazy. Griffin in love with him? He didn't believe that, Griffin didn't do love, it'd been one of the first conversations they'd ever had. Griffin's long diatribe against love and romance, as he chained smoked. Lance had been spouting similar phrases, and agreeing, that there was no reason to be looking for love, when something casual would do, they'd both been looking for the same thing that night anyway. Sex and nothing else, but they'd found they'd talking to each other, so friends it was too.

Lance had been lying about not wanting love though. He knew he'd been lying, but it'd been to protect himself, he had to protect himself but if he didn't no one else would. His dad had made that clear to him. Griffin though? Griffin probably lied too, sure, everyone wanted love and protested they didn't at some point. But Griffin was going thirty already, he was older, he'd made so many mistakes, he was trying to pull himself up again. Why the hell would he be in love with an kid from the Academy about turn nineteen?

Lance had seen Griffin's walls, they were hard steel with some people, he'd watched them go up and he no illusions that he saw through all of them. He was in a friend zone, and ex-bed buddy zone. It all added up to it being really doubtful that Griffin had some torch for him, maybe he wanted to still sleep with him, but love and sex aren't the same things to a guy like Griffin.

Not like it was with Keith. Not like he wanted it to be with Keith, he wanted it to be right with Keith. Speaking of walls, Keith had burrowed under Lance's so fast it made Lance's head spin and he kept thinking he should be scared. But it was like flying with Keith, it felt right, every touch, every time they talked, every look, every ride on the Kessel. He was going to make sure Keith knew that tonight too. That Lance was with Keith, only Keith, until Keith got bored of him because Lance wasn't going to get bored of him.

Didn't think he ever would. Keith had too much offer, Lance figured Keith could keep surprising him for a long time to come. Lance grinned and he started to speed up as he walked down the stairs to the bar, his mind completely forgetting the conversation with Riff and thoughts about Griffin as it went back to its current favorite mode: Keith, Keith, Keith.

~~.~~

Keith felt strong hands on his shoulders and was amazed at the amount of tension that instantly vanished from his neck and shoulders. He leaned back into it, eyes wide open as he swiveled on the stool just enough to face Lance. "Finally," he said, "I've drank enough orange soda's to turn into an orange."

"Orange soda?" Lance said, spinning Keith around on the stool to face him entirely.

"I wanted to wait for you," Keith said feeling his cheeks heat up, only a little, he was getting a little better he thought. Not completely embarrassed or stammering around him, and that damn intense, hot-hot gaze. Lance was staring at him, his hazel eyes a kaleidoscope of colors, amber, gold, brown dots on a canvas of multiple greens, and as always they were amused, mischievous and had that extra something that Keith didn't know how to name but it seemed aimed at him and he liked it. He liked it a lot, he loved it, he reminded himself. He loved Lance, and he didn't want Lance anywhere near Griffin.

"I have a part time job," he blurted out, which Keith realized two seconds later was really a dumbass time to do so, because Lance had been about to kiss him. Lance's eyes were right there, his nose was almost close enough to bump into his, but Lance was too smooth a kisser for that to happen, and his lips were so close to Keith's own.

"Uh, what?" Lance murmured, mind focused on more important things like kissing and groping, and less life and death things than jobs, homes and possibly living with a guy who was still hot for you.

"I have a part time job," Keith repeated, even as his body screamed at him to finish what Lance had started and kiss him, grab him by the jacket collar, pull him down and shove his tongue down Lance's throat and beg for more. Keith groaned, why was he being all responsible now? Oh right, he was jealous, but really this was a crappy place to live, Lance needed to be somewhere safer, like where he lived now.

"Where are you going with this?"

"I could move in with you and Hunk, I mean it's really part time. I haven't even been working the past two weeks, cause they are out of town and closed the job. It's a Bonsai Shop near Lena's, they're friends with my Aunt and Uncle, it's mostly for pocket money, since I have a scholarship for the Academy, Aunt and Uncle can afford to pay for what it doesn't cover. I could ask them for more hours, and if I moved in I could help out with Stoker too."

Lance moved back then, Keith decided to grip the stool with hands so he wouldn't grab Lance and bodily move him back into 'about to kiss position,' instead Keith kept his eyes on him, hoping he hadn't over stepped any unknown boundary.

"You'd do that?"

"Yeah," Keith said. "Of course, I'd have work more, I mean it's mostly just every other weekend, if that, honestly. When I need money... I kind of go in when I need money or they need me, near holidays."

Lance laughed. "Cool gig."

Keith frowned, he sounded like some spoiled rich kid, he'd never thought of himself as a spoiled rich kid, because he wasn't. He was on a damn scholarship for a reason, his Aunt and Uncle could barely pay what they did but they insisted and that is why they'd asked their friends if they could give him work when he needed extra cash. "You know that all came out kind of wrong?" Keith muttered, blushing. "I'm not some dick like Fargate who doesn't work hard, I mean damn. I just, it's for extra cash. I try not to impose really, you know. I study more than I party, to keep the damn scholarship, otherwise I can't be here at all. And..."

"Keith shut up, I didn't... You..." he grabbed Keith's hand, Keith felt him pull and was sure he was about to dragged somewhere where they weren't at a bar, surrounded by other people when a voice cut through the other people and said.

"Hey, Lance, you finally showed up for your date. Kept him waiting long enough, didn't you. He's all hopped up on orange colored sugar water, too." Keith groaned, when the pull stopped and Lance turned.

"Hi, Griffin, look he and I, need to step outside for bit, so..."

Keith watched as the two of them locked eyes. Griffin gave nothing away, at least as far as Keith could tell in his expression or his gaze. He cocked his head behind him though towards the bottles of booze. "What should I have ready for the two of you?"

"Just beer," Lance said, the 'duh' unspoken but loud.

"We'll talk?"

Lance shrugged. "Yeah, might not be tonight though, okay?" he said, tightening his grip on Keith's hand and tugging again, and Keith was on his feet and they were away from the bar. Through the crowd, and Keith saw the guys he usually ended up playing darts with, at the dartboard, see him, start to call him over and stop short with their mouths still open. A bit of pride rushed through him there, and then he was being pulled through a door he never knew existed and was out on a tiny balcony - that he did know about.

"I always wondered how you got to these?" Keith said.

"Through the doors to them, Keith, obvious. Aren't you supposed to be like the second smartest guy in our class?"

Keith shrugged. "I never really looked, because usually you saw men making out on them and I never had a guy I wanted to make out with with me - well before now."

Lance grinned and his hands came up, went into his hair and Keith was closing his eyes getting ready to be kissed thoroughly but instead there was nothing. Keith opened his eyes and Lance was just staring at him.

"You're real?" Lance said.

"Uh, yeah," Keith said.

Lance tugged at his hair.

"Ouch, hey! I spent time on that!" Keith said.

Lance laughed. "Yeah and I always mess it up anyway, yet the helmet never does, that takes talent."

Keith shook his head, hands coming up to fuss with his hair, Lance watched him amused leaning against the brick wall of the building. "You'd work full part time hours, live with a seven year old - which seriously cuts into study time, think about it. For me?"

"Yeah, of course."

Lance shook his head. "That's, wow. But it won't work."

Keith shook his head. "Why not? It could work, think about it? I could ask Sven. He's complaining all the time about having too much free time, he could find a job."

Lance bent over he laughed so hard. "Don't pull in your dorm mate, Keith, come on."

"It could work," Keith said. "Then you and Hunk don't have to worry. You don't have to worry, I don't want you..." Keith trailed off, listening to three different sirens going off in the streets around them, two getting closer, one going away. People arguing on the street, and he thought of Griffin in there, always wanting time with his boyfriend. "I don't want you here."

Lance sighed and closed his eyes. "You can't rescue me, Keith."

"I can try, I owe you one anyway, right? And it's ridiculous you can't just come back to the dorms. Maybe the chancellor?"

"Hunk's parents already tried, they talked to him on my behalf already."

"They did?"

"Yeah," Lance sighed, pushing his hands into his pockets. "Crazy, right? They do more for me than my parents. My dad pays for this place just so he doesn't have to see me. It's awkward, I never know how to show I'm grateful, that family is all so big and boisterous. It kind of feels like being swallowed whole, sometimes when I watch them all eating I fear it literally."

Keith chuckled.

Lance grinned.

"Riff promised me her protection."

Keith stared at him.

"Keith that's a good thing, she has a certain reputation. If people know that I'm under her protection, I'm safe here."

"What about Griffin?"

"He's just Griffin, Keith. I've told you."

"What if you and Hunk find someone else to move in with you, take me then?" Keith said, trying to get back to his initial plan, keeping Lance where Keith knew he wanted to stay, he could see it, he'd seen it when he was talking about Hunk's parents. Even in the complaint about them being too much at times.

"I'd take you now," Lance said.

"Then let me," Keith said.

"No."

"No?"

"Okay, so your Aunt and Uncle's friends, own that little Bonsai shop on the corner, by Lena's?"

"Yeah?"

"They can't pay you enough, to cover what your half of the rent would have to be, no way, they can. And you, you need to keep focused on your own stuff to keep your scholarship you don't need to worry about my crazy."

"Yeah, I do."

"Keith, no you don't," Lance argued, straightening up off the wall and getting into Keith's space. "If I end up here, it really won't be that bad. You don't have to try find a way to save me from losing the house."

"Yeah, I do, I love you," Keith argued, his emotion and his tongue way ahead of his brain. Lance's eyes widened, Keith's ears heard what he said and he seriously contemplated jumping up onto the railing behind him and making a break for it on the ground below. He could do it without breaking a sweat, it would be easy, he even still had the keys to the Kessel. He could steal Lance's bike, say he loved him and leave him standing on a balcony all in one go.

Time ticked by, Keith could feel the whole body blush that had slammed into him like a wall of heat starting to fade away, the night was fairly cool and the breeze was cooling him down. His heart was in his ears, so he started to count. It was three minutes, of nothing but them breathing, standing there, staring. Keith kept reminding himself to breath, kept telling himself he could take it back, he could, he just had to figure out how to take it back? Was that what Lance was waiting for? If he did take it back, how did one do that without making it worse? He didn't really want to take back something that was true, but it was too soon, no one was supposed to say it this soon in a relationship were they?

When the hell was Lance going to say something?

Keith couldn't take it back, so he was stuck with it out there, which meant he was stuck waiting for Lance, because it was up to Lance to respond and oh crap, oh crap, oh crap...

"Huh." Lance made a noise, stepped back and leaned back against the brick wall.

"Huh!" Keith yelled, because really that much awkward silence and then he says nothing but (ITALIC)huh(ITALIC)?

"I believe you."

That tripped Keith up, who said that? "What?"

"I mean girls always say it, first dates they say it all breathey after I kiss them good night, it's ridiculous really and I know it's bullshit."

Keith rolled his eyes.

"Guys, guys always say it right after or during sex, but we haven't had sex, yet..." Lance trailed off. "A couple have told me after a few more dates but it always felt like a line. But none of these things are comparable to you. Because you aren't at all comparable to anyone, which is why you're..."

"Why I'm..." Keith pushed.

"I mean, I had ever intention of telling you tonight."

"Telling me what?"

"I'm yours, only yours, only want to see you and be with you until you're tired of me, which I guess isn't going to happen any time soon, unless I'm screwing this up and making you completely regret blurting that out."

Keith felt sudden relief crossed the one step of space between them and leaned his forward against Lance's shoulder. "I thought I just screwed up."

Lance's hands fell onto his hips, fingers pressed hard against his jeans, Keith could feel them against his skin. "No, not at all, I was just in shock from believing you and trying to wrap my head about that."

"Not that hard to get," Keith said, moving his head a bit and kissing the skin of Lance's neck.

"Fuck, we're going to the house," Lance murmured, his hand going into Keith's pocket and retrieving his Kessels keys. "I'd let you drive, but you don't know the way from here," he grinned. He then moved to the railing, moved onto it and jumped down.

Keith looked down, Lance was grinning up. "Quickest way out." Keith did the same thing, happy that it wasn't be used as an escape.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Lance opened the door, pulled Keith inside and closed it, quickly locked it behind them and then dragged Keith downstairs. "I'll give you a tour in the morning."

"Morning?" Keith said, smiling, he liked the idea, of falling asleep with Lance again.

"Oh, yeah," Lance grinned, flipping a switch and a lone lamp turned on in a small square room, fitted with a couch, a chair, a small television and a stereo system. "This is the downstairs den, that door right there leads to a bathroom, there is no hot water in the sink, it refuses to work. And really if Hunk can't fix it, it's broken for life."

Keith laughed.

"Still want to leave here?"

"With you, yeah?"

"You can't afford it," Lance sighed, pushing Keith down onto the couch and then climbing over him pushing the other man into the corner of it, leaning over Keith with his hands on the arm of the couch right behind Keith's head and his other arm stuck between Keith and the cushions. Lance stopped short, just before kissing Keith, stopped to stare and memorize. Stopped to try wrap his brain his brain around the fact that this guy, this man, Keith Kogane had said he loved him and it was sincere. It was true because it couldn't be anything else out of Keith's mouth.

Everything Keith did and said was real and true. He was walking talking integrity. Sexy, hot, debauched integrity, Lance thought, licking his lips and laughing as Keith's hands grappled at Lance's own hips, maneuvered his own legs and Lance's body until they were flush against each with Keith pinned against the back the of the couch and Lance pinned by his Keith's thighs wrapped around him and his hands on his hips.

They had on too many clothes.

"Too many clothes," Keith whined, leaning forward and capturing Lance's mouth his.

If he wasn't busy kissing Keith back, Lance would rectify the too many clothes situation, really his plan had been to strip Keith naked as quickly as humanly possibly. He'd gotten distracted by the dark eyes staring at him so openly with all that lust and with that other emotion that was always there that Lance now knew he could label love. It was heady and it felt a little crazy, but he couldn't deny how much he liked it, how great it made him feel that it was Keith loving him. If it was someone else, anyone else, he wasn't sure he'd feel the way he did right now.

He'd probably have run from the person, or laughed in their face. Or felt sad and unsure how to let them down easy because he could never feel anything close to love for them. And if someone loved you, you needed to be able to feel it back, it was too important, Lance thought.

Watching his parents, be ghosts to each other when they weren't downright horrible to the other he'd always promised himself he'd never be in a relationship that didn't have real love behind. Like his school hood friend Benny's parents. Benny's parents were always with the embarrassing public displays of affection. Katie's parents and Hunk's parents were like that too, Lance wanted that. He dreamed of it, then tucked it away in the back of his head in the never going to happen pipe dream. Never even admit he had it, would never tell a soul.

He broke the kiss between him and Keith, Keith growled as he moved in for more, after taking in some air, his hips moving against Lance's; they were tormenting themselves thrusting against each other through their jeans.

"Keith," Lance said.

"Yeah."

"I..."

"Lance, good, you are home!" Came Pidge's voice from the top of the stairs, followed by the padding of his feet down the steps.

Lance sighed, closed his eyes and counted to five. Then he lifted up his head and looked over the back of the couch. Pidge stood there, with a towel wrapped around his middle, his head a birds nest and his glasses on his face at a slightly weird angle. "Uh, why are you in a towel?"

"I have no clean clothes."

Lance frowned. "What do you mean, it was Katie's turn to do laundry. It's done, right?"

Pidge shook his head.

"Why do you need clean clothes?" Lance asked, not wanting to know where this was going.

"I am sorry to interrupt your prelude to coitus with Cadet Kogane, but I wet the bed again. And there are no clean sheets to change the bed and there are no clean clothes for me to put on."

"Don't say 'coitus', freaks me out," Lance said and he saw his own freaked out feelings mirrored on Keith's face hearing a seven year old say that to you like it was talking about the weather. Lance rolled off of Keith, mouthing 'I'm sorry'.

"Are they all home?"

"Yes. I tried to wake Hunk, but he kept just snoring."

"Okay, go sleep in my bed, don't worry about anything," Lance said, ruffling Pidge's hair.

"Don't do that," Pidge moaned but then he suddenly hugged Lance, waved at Keith who had stood up too. "Thank you for the bed," he blurted out and ran back up the stairs.

Lance rolled his eyes, then he himself walked upstairs, he felt Keith behind him. "What you going to do?" Keith asked.

"Wake up Katie for one thing," Lance muttered. "Then probably wash the kids sheets and a uniform for him for tomorrow. It is probably some wedding thing that is why she forgot or didn't get to it, or whatever."

"Was he embarrassed, I couldn't tell?"

"Not about the bed wetting, he says many geniuses were known bedwetters at his age. He hates sleeping on the couch in the living room or downstairs, so he was hoping he could sleep in my bed, or Hunk's. He doesn't talk about why, but not being in actual bedroom bugs him."

"Uh, we all have our things, I guess," Keith said.

Lance opened a door. "You're going to want to wait here."

Keith nodded.

~~.~~

Keith leaned against the wall in the hallway, his heart had been hammering in his chest since he blurted out he loved Lance and it hadn't stopped. This night had not gone at all the way Keith had thought it would. The odd conversation with Griffin, realizing the man wanted Lance, Keith shuddered, the fear and insecurity that rolled through him at the thought. He wanted Lance to be wrong, for Lance to be too cynical and pessimistic about the chances of Keith being a roommate here to even think of it being a successful plan. It could maybe work, he'd just have to talk to the Changs. Then he'd talk to Sven...

Loud booming swearing in Japanese came blaring out of the room Lance had just walked into. Then a female voice was yelling. "What in the world, Lance, what are you doing pouring water on us!"

Keith started laughing, Lance poured water on them? He was insane, Keith thought then he thought it again only time a million when Lance backed out of the room, holding a huge beer mug followed by a giant. A giant still swearing in Japanese.

"You know what he's calling me don't you?"

Keith nodded.

"Anything good in there?"

"No."

"Didn't think so."

A woman came running out, in a robe, she barely came up to the giant's belly button, but she got between him and Lance anyway. "Dai, Dai, let the crazy man explain before you murder him."

Lance smirked as Dai settled down. "Whipped."

Dai started up again.

"Lance you aren't helping!"

Keith stared at Lance. "Don't poke the beast!"

"He's a teddy bear," Lance said, winking at Keith. "I woke you two up because Pidge wet his bed, only to wake up to change his sheets and pajamas to find that there was nothing clean to wear or put on his bed."

"What? Well who the hell was supposed to do the laundry then because it's their fault not ours," Dai shouted.

"Me," Katie said in a small voice. "I can't believe I forgot to do the laundry. He barely has any clothes, he needs it done every week, unlike the rest of us. Crap, where is he?"

"My bed," Lance said.

She hurried past Lance and opened a door. Dai groaned and rubbed the back of his neck. "Great, just great. Now she's going feel guilty for a week, just perfect. Who the hell is he?"

"This is Keith, my boyfriend," Lance said.

"Right. He coming to the wedding?"

"I hope so."

The hammering in Keith's ears, of his heart raised up in pitch again, as he stared at Lance as he said I hope so, inviting him to the wedding. Lance's plus one to a wedding, that felt definitely real and final. Serious. Really serious, Keith felt fully relaxed then for the first time he hadn't totally screwed up with the I love you, blurting. He knew Lance hadn't run, but he hadn't really reacted like anyone else in the world would either, but this was good. It was really good.

"Wouldn't miss it," Keith said, smiling.

Lance grinned and walked over to another door and opened it, walked inside but came back out quickly holding Pidge's Thunder Cat sheets. "Come on I'll show where our washer and dryer are, tell Katie I got this, if she'll get all the clothes on the floor together?"

Dai nodded. "My brother snoring through all of this?"

"Of course."

Keith shook his head, but he followed Lance downstairs again and through another door Lance hadn't pointed out before, that Keith hadn't seen that led to the garage. There was a big truck inside it and against one wall the washer and dryer.

Lance stuck the sheets in, started the water running and poured in the liquid detergent without measuring it, then slammed the lid. Then he turned around and faced Keith. "Sorry about the interruption."

Keith shook his head, he took a few steps forward so he was in Lance's space, smelling Lance's smells, breathing Lance's air. He grabbed Lance's hips, pulled him closer. "You were going to say something when suddenly I heard this little kid voice."

"Disconcerting, huh?" Lance asked, grabbing the fabric of Keith's shirt and pulling up, Keith let go of Lance only long enough to let him pull off his shirt.

"A little, you still have on a shirt," Keith whined, his hands moving from Lance's hips and underneath Lance's shirt.

"It's cold in here," Lance said with a smirk.

"Are you kidding me?" Keith said, "Because I don't think that's why you have goosebumps." he flicked his fingers over Lance's right nipple again.

"Oh," Lance laughed and then he caught Keith's mouth with his again.

This time it was female laughter, echoing off the garage walls that interrupted, Keith felt suddenly completely naked, and tried to reach for his shirt, only to be blocked by Lance, smirking at him. "You shouldn't be embarrassed I had abs like that I'd be walking around shirtless everywhere, everyWHERE."

"Really?" Katie said.

"Hell yeah," Lance said, spinning Keith around.

Keith cursed in Japanese and looked at his feet, he was going to kill Lance.

"Lance you're tormenting him, but I do have to say... Oh my!" Katie said as she dropped the laundry basket she was carrying down on the floor. Then she picked a book up she'd put on top of all the clothes. "Okay, I am this now, and I have my book to read. So you two can go back to the couch."

Before Keith really knew because he was trying not to combust from the dual combination of heat from the embarrassment, and the compliments; let alone the usual feeling of heat from just being around Lance, he was back in the den with Lance with Lance tugging on his jeans buttons.

Keith's eyes went wide and he grabbed Lance's hands. "Are you crazy, she's right out there!"

"And she isn't coming in here anytime soon," Lance said.

"Yeah, but...uh..." Keith stammered. "It, I... What if Dai comes down to see her?"

"Trust me he's asleep."

"Katie!" Dai yelled.

"Oh, fuck my life," Lance muttered. "Already in the garage."

"Oh. Sorry, leave you alone then," Dai yelled.

Keith though sat down his head in is hands as he tried to catch his breath and calm down his nerves. It was one thing when everyone had been asleep, and before anyone else had set foot down the stairs with them. They hadn't done anything but major making out, heavy petting, some thrusting always with to many clothes on except for the first night. Keith wanted more but now he was too nervous, now he was too aware of all the people.

"I'm sorry," he said, looking up expecting Lance to look ready to kill him, possibly dump him right there and then. Guys were supposed to be ready to do it at a drop of well anything, weren't there and here he was the last living virgin.

Lance though shook his head, pulled Keith's shirt out of his back pocket and handed it back to him. "Are you thirsty?"

"Am I?" Keith stammered it out, shocked, surprised. Sometimes he wondered at who this man was he'd fallen for so hard and fast. "Uh, yeah, I am, I think."

Lance nodded. "See, what you can find to watch," he said tossing a remote control Keith's way before bounding up the staircase.

Keith pulled on his shirt, turned on the television and told himself that someday he might be able to figure out how Lance's mind worked, he'd understand how it from point A to point Q the way other people went from A to B. Maybe. Keith smiled a bit as he wondered if he really wanted to do that at all. He flipped through a few channels until he landed on Star Wars, they were still on Tattooine and stopped. He heard Lance's steps on the stairs, then his voice. "Dude, Star Wars? Awesome." Lance then fell into place next to him, handed him a glass with soda in it, balanced a bowl of potato chips between them and as soon as he could swung a free arm around Keith's shoulders.

"Coke was fine right?"

"Yeah," Keith said.

"I think, I love you too. Oh yes, this isn't the stupid ass version Lucas messed with this is the real deal!"

Keith coughed a bit, choking on his soda as he was swallowing when Lance spoke, Lance glanced over at him, asked him if he was okay. Keith nodded, he settled himself more into the circle of Lance's arm and mentally shook his head. No, he wasn't going to understand Lance's brain anytime soon and no he didn't want too. Because if he wanted to sneak an I love you too in like that, Keith wasn't going to argue.


	12. Chapter 12

_Notes:_ Changing the rating to M, starting with this chapter. Skylar, thank you for all your comments! Skylar God, would've been very appropriate and I'm totally blushing about the best writer thing(so, not true.) LMFAO, thank you, that is a bit weird but if it's how you feel that's all good. Everyone else, thank you again, I love hearing what you think.

This chapter is kind of a setting up chapter, so I'm sorry there isn't much actual Keith/Lance. I'll make up for it.

Chapter Twelve

Sven hated mornings, he was not a morning person, yet he'd decided to turn his life over to the Garrison and become a soldier, so he was trying to work on being more of a morning person. It meant getting up early even when he didn't have to on the weekend. Keith being an habitual early riser was helpful as a roommate, his alarms would go off and prompt Sven to get up at the same time. Amelia working the morning shift at Lena's on weekends was helpful too, he'd promised her if she had to be up and awake, ready to pour coffee for people at 6 am Saturday and Sunday, that he'd been there to keep her company, while they both rather be in bed.

Sven tried not to picture being in bed with her.

He hadn't had a crush this bad on a girl since he'd been ten and had crush on twelve year old Olga Carlson from next door. He couldn't get it out of his system and he could never quite get the words out of his mouth to ask her out. Amelia was great to talk to, she was nice, she laughed at his dumb jokes, and she talked to him about anything and everything. Which was a problem, because she mentioned other guys. Guys she thought were cute, guys she had dated, guys her friends were dating. Sven was beginning to think he'd taking a bad turn and ended up in the friend zone and he wasn't sure if he could back himself out of it. He wanted to try asking her out anyway, he kept trying to toss it out there, but whenever he opened his mouth to do so, he'd say something else instead.

Today was Amelia's first time working the morning shift, and as Keith never came home from his date with Lance, Sven had set his own alarm and promptly slept through it. He woke a half an hour later, from a dream about her shouting at him for never showing up and this was why she could never date him because he would always fail to show up for their dates on time. He'd never falling out of the bed, trying to wake up from the shouting irate dream Amelia.

He walked into Lena's, and up to the counter, waiting behind a business woman who was bringing in coffee for her co-workers and had four other orders. He smiled at her, trying for the kind of smile he saw McClain always use that made the women and Keith all go goo-goo eyed. Amelia gave him an amused smile that made him feel like he must have failed spectacularly.

Finally he was at the counter. "Sorry, I'm late," he said. "I have no good excuse."

"I thought you said Keith would make sure you got up?"

"He never came home last night," Sven said.

Amelia's whole face lit up, she leaned forward on the counter, giving Sven a better view of her cleavage. Sven tried to remain a gentleman while still stealing a peek of it, he was young hot-blooded male under twenty years of age after all. "Really, he was out with Lance right? Oh, my God! He has to come in later, tell him he has to come in here if he gets home before my shift is over. I get out at one. It's going to take forever. But he stayed with Lance all night huh? They are so cute together, I see them in the hallways sometimes, their clothes always askew. Keith's always avoiding looking people in the eye, it's so cute how shy he is. Lance looks like he's preening, like a proud peacock. I think I'm in love with them as a couple, do you think that is weird?"

He thought that was weird, it was very weird, why were girls always so fascinated by Keith's love life. They never asked about his love life, if Amelia would just ask him who he was dating and he could say no one because he was hoping to ask out the most beautiful woman on campass and she'd ask who. He would then tell it her it was her of course, how could she not say yes. She would have to say yes, right? "No, no, that's not weird," he said to Amelia.

He heard someone step behind him in the line, so he quickly ordered a triple espresso, he was dead on his feet. She quickly made it for him and handed it over, he smiled his thanks as he handed over the money for it, plus a generous tip and he walked over to the usual table he and Keith sat at. Taking his seat where he could glance at her now and again, not too much, it wasn't like he stalked her. He just liked seeing her as much as possible, talking to her, maybe someday he'd manage to ask her out.

He frowned as he realized that Fargate Gaskill had walked up to the counter after the young man behind Sven had finished his order. He was leaning forward, blocking out Amelia's face from Sven's sight. What was going on, it looked more like they were talking than Fargate was ordering anything, Fargate kept leaning further into her space. Sven was thinking about getting up to make sure the creep wasn't harassing her when he saw Fargate take out his wallet and pay for a muffin.

Amelia then smiled at the next customer, looking radiant as always and Sven decided he'd just let his jealousy and temper get away with him because it'd been such a jerk at the counter, near Amelia.

~~.~~

Lance woke up his face buried in soft black hair that smelled like something fruity and sweet. He couldn't place the fruit, it was probably a bunch of things a shampoo company threw together in a pot and claimed kept hair silky and smooth. Lance couldn't disagree, Keith's hair was some of the softest and silkiest he'd ever run his fingers through. It was thick, black and Keith definitely spent time on it, and hated it when Lance messed it with for too long. Especially if they were making out in the supply closet at the Academy. Keith would yank Lance's hands away and complain about him messing up his hair and move them elsewhere; Lance didn't mind going elsewhere, he just also liked tugging on Keith's hair to make sure Keith's throat was bared, so Lance could mark it as his.

Lance inhaled the smell of he shampoo with the underlying Keith smell that couldn't be called anything else but Keith, he moved a bit to assess the situation. They were sitting, side by side, sidled into each other, his left leg was tangled with Keith's right leg, his arm was over Keith's shoulders and Keith's arm had snaked around his waist at some point. Lance wondered how it wasn't pins and needles on Keith, pinned between Lance's back and the couch cushions. Keith's head was on his shoulder and Lance had ended up on top of Keith's head.

Lance really wished they were on the couch, lying flat and naked, but he'd been royally cock blocked by the entire household, causing Keith to freeze up on him. Maybe showing Keith's incredibly hard abs off to Katie hadn't been the best plan - but damn his boyfriend was hot, how do you not brag about it now and again? Lance thought, idly. He'd gotten his hands on Keith again of course, they'd made out throughout most of the movie, but Keith had been still skittish, tensing every time Lance tried to take of clothing, or push below the belt.

He groaned just remembering the frustration and leaned his head back against the cushions, then he lifted his arms up, letting go of Keith, and stretched them over his head, stretching out his long frame, including his legs. Untangled from Keith he felt suddenly cold but he had no desire to move from the couch yet, it was still dark in the den. Meaning Katie had turned out the light when she'd walked by them. Which meant that they hadn't seen or heard her while making out - at least Lance hadn't and Keith hadn't said anything, so Lance guessed he hadn't either, and he grinned. He had to come up with a plan, to make sure he and Keith would be completely alone for at least a few hours before the weekend was over.

He was already running out of time.

~~.~~

Griffin tossed in his bed, his sleep uneasy since he fell into it an hour earlier. The bedding has fallen to the floor from his turning, the sheets are at his feet pushed and pushed toward the foot of the bed, twisting towards the floor. He woke with a start, his head pounding, his heart in his throat and his stomach churning, he flew to the bathroom and threw up the contents of a nights worth of beer and peanuts.

He splashed cold water on his face and stared into the mirror, he felt small in the face of the things he dreamed, but the dream was fading away, it was turning into things that made no sense in his bathroom, with the water running. It was the snakes, it was always the snakes. There were skulls and their was lions, always some kind lion. And blood, why was there always blood. Yet he always felt like Lance was fighting against it all, but it all scared him, it scared Griffin.

And now he was more scared because this time, Lance's face wasn't the only one he recognized. He'd seen another face and it'd been there all along. With Lance in the midst of all the things that fade from Griffin's memory and make it impossible to articulate why he knows Lance is a hero. There is another hero now, another man Griffin knows, another man there with Lance. By his side, was Keith Kogane.

Griffin splashed more cold water on his face, and shook his head. "Figures, he's there now don't it Griffin," he whispered, rolling his eyes and shaking his head at himself. Then he went back to his bed. He fell instantly asleep, a deep long and hard sleep. When he woke hours later, he forgot about the portents as happens to him at times, it became a nagging strange feeling in the back of his mind that he knew something he couldn't remember. Griffin never worried about those feelings, he knew eventually he'd have the dream again, then again. It would stick with him after a few more times, it always did.

Sometimes he wished it wouldn't. Time would tell what Griffin would wish this time.

~~.~~

Amelia opened the door to her dorm room and breathed a sigh of relief, her roommate was inside. She went over to her desk, sat down and pulled a disk out of her purse and looked at it. It was unmarked, it had no clue on its outside on what could be the contents within it. She didn't want to watch it, she hadn't wanted to take it, but Gaskill had given her no choice.

When she'd transferred to the Academy, she'd made it her first priority to ignore him, to avoid him, to make it clear to him that their prior relationship was not to be mentioned. It hadn't happened. She never knew him, she had nothing to do with him. She hated him, he was an ass and she had promised herself that Fargate Gaskill would never enter her life again as anything but another student at the Garrison Academy in her life. He'd seemed fine with her avoidance, he'd seemed fine with her ignoring him, he seemed find to hold up his nose and look down at her when they did cross paths or were in the same classes. He held his superiority over everyone he could, she was fine with letting him think he was superior to her.

But today there was he was, leaning over the counter, leering at her and telling her to watch the disk and then go see Stella. His snooty, bitchy, equally horrible girlfriend to find out what he wants. What he wants? Like she'd do anything for him?

But he says he wants something and that she doesn't want what is on the disk to go viral. Viral? On the Internet? Amelia's hand shakes as she picks up the disk and puts it into her laptop on her desk and she waits.

It's clear the girl on the bed is her, she hasn't changed much in two years, her hair is longer then than it is now but that is the only difference. It's her own damn bedroom, how had he done this? She goes numb watching it, watching him and her have sex for the first time. Watching him take her virginity, then it goes to the next time they slept together in her room. It records them three more times. Then they'd broken up, because he'd told everyone she was slut, he'd ran his mouth all over school and all the boys he was friends with knew things - and now she knew how they knew things. He'd shown them this.

But it got worse because it then they weren't in her bedroom anymore, they were Fargate's, when she'd gone there to get some her things and they'd fought, and he'd played her. She's bought it too at the time, hook line and sinker. He'd been her first, he'd played her so easily, but it showed him winking to the camera and saying slut. Then he'd talked her into letting him tie her up when they did and she'd let him, just wanting her boyfriend back and he had apologized and she'd been so stupid.

And he left her there. Tied up on his bed, for hours and she'd been found by his father. Who'd untied her and made her get dressed while he watched before dismissing her from the house. The part of the recording was the only portion where Fargate hadn't edited out his face, but then he popped up in his own dorm room and he laughed. Amelia jumped, seeing the more recent him right there on the screen. "Of course if this goes viral, me and dad will get edited out, just you looking like a slut stays in. Time to see Stella, her dorm room is on the first floor, right by the doors, number 111."

Amelia took the disk out, she broke it into a million pieces, then ran to the bathrooms to throw up. Then standing in front of the mirrors staring at her reflection, she didn't know what to do but to go see Stella, because how the hell could she let that go that get on the Internet?


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

"I don't like this."

Lance laughed as he continued to lead a blindfolded Keith across the beach. "I'm enjoying it just fine."

"You didn't stay I would have to wear this thing in public, there are people laughing," Keith grumbled.

"As they enjoy the beach on a Saturday morning, totally ignore us," Lance said, moving them around a sandcastle two kids were building, they both looked up at them with big eyes, Lance grinned at them.

"Is he doing a dare?" One of the boys dared.

"No he agreed to do this," Lance laughed.

"I stupidly said I would trust him to surprise me, I'm never doing it again, who am I talking too? That didn't sound like Pidge."

"That was a kid building a castle."

"Why is a kid building a castle talking to us?"

"Cause you're wearing a blindfold on the beach."

"You said people weren't staring at us?"

"Whatever. We're going uphill now, going to led you from behind."

"Lance, take it off. I want to see where I am."

"If you see where you are, then where we are going won't be a surprise," Lance said, gripping Keith's hips and leaning to the side to keep an eye on where they were stepping. "Stairs coming up, railing is on your left," Lance said, nudging Keith by his hips wear to go, trying not to get distracted by being so close to him. Keith was wearing a pair of Lance's shorts, the fit tight on him and his ass was extremely distracting, Lance had to keep reminding himself that he was Keith eyes at the moment. Keith's left hand went out and waved around in the air but quickly found the railing of the staircase they were about to climb, he grabbed it but didn't budge.

Lance was less than an inch behind him so he ended up plastered totally against him, hands digging into Keith's hips he inhaled deeply, loving how his sandalwood soap smelled on Keith. Smelled better on Keith than on him, he thought and so did his boring generic shampoo. He liked Keith's hair like this too, unstyled and wild in the wind coming off the ocean. "This isn't where the surprise is, you know," Lance whispered into Keith's ear, burying his nose into Keith's hair.

"How much longer, do I have to wear this damn thing?"

"Until we get there."

"And that will take."

"A really long time, if you keep grousing about it, Keith," Lance laughed.

"Are you going to give me a straight answer?"

"No, cause I it's way too fun to listen to you order me around," Lance said, pushing Keith his hands, though he was tempted to thrust with his hips too but that would probably get them both in trouble and there were too many people around. It was a really nice day.

Keith started up the stairs, suspciously silent as he walked up the stairs, but Lance could hear him breathing, careful controlled breaths and he smirked. "Three more steps, then sand again," Lance said.

"You're driving me crazy," Keith muttered.

"Blindfold will be off soon."

"Not what I meant," Keith whispered, moving his hips back into Lance's grip, his body back against Lance, letting his weight rest there for a full moment before taking it away and taking the last three steps of the stairs.

Lance sighed, let out a small moan and grinned. "Oh, well that feeling is totally mutual, and I can't really blame you, I mean I am hot and I do smell really good right now."

"You're such a cocky son of a bitch," Keith said, laughing.

"And?"

Keith shook his head, refusing to budge again, he turned around and thought Lance couldn't see his eyes, he was sure he was being glared with lust blown dark eyes. Lance swallowed at the just the thought, it'd get to see it soon enough he told himself, he grabbed Keith's face and kissed him the second Keith opened his mouth. To yell about be blindfolded, to tell him to take it off, to give him an actual Estimated Time of Arrival this time damn it, Lance didn't care, he wasn't going to cave into the orders, but damn if he wasn't going to give into other more important urges.

Keith made an ummphh noise then his own hands where on Lance's hips, hitting only skin because the shorts he'd put on had slid down as always, and he never remembered to wear a belt. Tongues dueling, they were plastered front to front this time at the top of the stairs.

"Get a room!" Someone yelled as they walked past them, making Keith jump back, Lance laughed as Keith went total alpha male who wanted to make sure he knew who belonged to who to shy guy. Tongue back in his mouth, hands in the air, not knowing where to go, and head tucked down, thought Keith couldn't actually look at the sand below their feet to wish for a hole to swallow him.

"Shouldn't be embarrassed, remember I'm hot, you should be proud to be making out with me," Lance reminded him, lightly, taking his hand this time to continue onward toward the end of their journey. "Then of course there is the fact you are hot," Lance added. "Together, we are like, too smokin' hot for words, really. They should define a new word for our hotness. It's Keith/Lance hotness. We're the Kogane-McClaine Factor? Some new temperature of volcanic level of heat. Right? Right?" he pulled Keith in against him then and slung his arm around him.

"I'll agree with you, if you take off the blindfold."

"Oh, so you'll disagree with me about our hotness if I don't?"

Keith laughed but remained quiet. "Seriously, how much longer am going to be subjected to your unfair, and totally arousing manhandling, where I don't know where we are but can hear quite clearly we are in public? I want a real true estimated time of arrival, Lance. An ETA, now?"

"Bossy, bossy, bossy."

Keith growled.

"Are you like part lion?"

"Keep it up and find out, McClain."

Lance laughed.

Keith sighed.

"How long were you gone before I woke up?"

"Why?"

"Well, I woke up and was informed by Hunk and Pidge, you'd showered and taken off to see if something was doable. Then they told me I could take a shower, what stuff was yours that I could use - I showered, ate breakfast with them and Katie. Then you came back in, and said it was doable with that shit eating grin of yours."

"Yeah, you like that grin."

"Then you talked me into a blindfold."

"Yeah, I'm awesome."

"How long were you gone?"

"See if you're trying to figure it out, like some kind of weird math problem, you've got an issue because I took the Kessel then. We are taking the scenic route right now."

"Now blindfolded on the Kessel, I might li- Wait, uh, you took the Kessel?"

Lance smirked and stopped their walking hip to hip, he then leaned into whispered Keith ear really low. "So, blindfolded on the Kessel, while I drive really fast, I won't hear a peep of complaining out of you, huh?"

Keith squeaked, then sighed he leaned into Lance, his body shifting, hands coming out to grab at Lance's shirt, finding his shoulders and his mouth found Lance's mouth and Lance had himself a very eager handful of Keith. Rubbing against him, tonguing him and pushing under his shirt and oh, yeah they were definitely putting a blindfold on Keith and hopping on the Kessel really soon.

But first things firsts, Lance thought as he reluctantly pushed Keith away, but he kept a grip on his hips and leaned into his ear. "So, yeah, we'll do that. But this first," he said and he turned Keith around, so he face front, and started to steer him by his hips again and kept himself plastered to Keith's back because he just didn't want to any further away from him.

"I still want my ETA."

"For the Kessel blindfold run, tonight could work," Lance said.

Keith made a noise, that wasn't one of frustration but yet was but then he shook his head. "For the surprise, Lance, the surprise."

"No, no ETA's for the surprise, but we're stepping off the sand, onto gravel now," Lance said just Keith stepped his sneakered foot onto gravel.

"I feel that," Keith complained. "You know, since I don't know this area at all, blindfolding me is pretty moot."

"You're logic will not effect on me."

"I told you I don't like surprises."

"But you said, you were willing to try one out, because It would be me giving it. And I think since you said that, I have to make sure that you go all the way with it."

"Well, obviously, around you I lose I.Q. points. You make me stupid, I shouldn't be allowed to make decisions in your vicinity; it's bad enough you look like you do, then add the cajoling and the eyes and I turn into an idiot moron around you who is not thinking with his brain."

"Frankly, it gives me hope."

"What?"

"What to know that the smart brainy types sometimes let their dicks think for them too, makes me feel better for us average guys who get in trouble for it all the time."

Keith laughed that time, Lance felt it vibrate through Keith's body against his and he grinned. And it was perfect timing. "Almost there," he said, stopping and grabbing Keith's hand again and let him up a few steps, through a door and then up another staircase.

"We're inside somewhere now, where are we?"

"Hold on," Lance muttered as he dug into his shorts pockets for the key to the room, his stomach starting to feel queasy, his palms starting to sweat. Now suddenly that they were here, he felt completely nervous and unsure if he was making the right move here. He swallowed over a sudden lump that felt a mountain in this throat as he unlocked the door and pushed Keith inside and walked in himself. He then wiped his hands on his shorts, walked over to Keith and pulled off the blindfold.

Keith blinked about a million times, rubbed at his eyes as he readjusted to light; it was a bright day and the windows drapes were open and the windows were open, to let in the wind and let the customers of the place hear the ocean that was the small Bed & Breakfast's backyard. Keith turned around in a circle, took a look around and when he stopped he was staring at the bed.

Lance wanted to open his mouth, start talking about how there was no way they could be alone in the house, and he of course couldn't go to the dorm and anyway they couldn't really just kick Sven out. There just weren't many options for them to be alone and so he'd come up with this a place where they would definitely be alone.

Keith turned back around and looked at him, all wide-eyed and looking fucking perfect and he opened his mouth and then he closed it again. Then he just took off the borrowed shirt of Lance's he was wearing, and Lance let out the breath he didn't know he was holding, followed Keith's lead and did the same thing.

"This is good then?" Lance whispered as he walked into Keith's space, placed his forehead against Keith's.

"It was worth the damn blindfold, you jabbering on and never answering a question for almost thirty minutes," Keith said.

"You timed it?"

"I had to distract myself from your hands somehow, you kept touching me, those hands all dug into my hips," Keith said.

"I did this so we could be alone," Lance said. "No one is going to bother us, no one is going to call, no one can walk in through that door because I locked it and put the do not disturb sign on the doorknob. I already put everything else we need in the room," he whispered.

Keith's breathing hitched hands moved from Lance's hips to the shorts and he just tugged hard and watched them fall to the floor around Lance's sneakered feet. "I knew it, no underwear?"

"Remember, laundry wasn't done," Lance grinned. "And you aren't wearing any either."

"Well, I didn't bring any over, I wasn't really planning to sleepover," Keith said his eyes closing, as Lance pulled the shorts down and went down with them. His hand wrapping around Keith's cock, and his tongue darting into Keith's bellybutton.

"I usually don't plan, but sometimes it's worth it," Lance murmured, his mouth, tongue, against Keith's flat stomach, darting in and out his navel and his hand moving up and Keith's cock, thumb teasing the tip. "Are you ready, Keith?" Lance asked, a second later, eyes wide looking up from where he was kneeling straight into Keith's eyes.

(please don't kill me)


	14. Chapter 14

_Notes:_ This chapter is very M, Hard M, NC-17. SEX SEX SEX. Between Men. Full on Sex. You have been warned, though if you are here, this is what you're hoping for :-)

Chapter Fourteen

Bellybutton, erogenous zone, oh yes, yes, yes, yes, Keith thought as Lance's mouth made contact with his navel, his slightly chapped lips scrapping against his skin, his tongue snaking out and thrusting into his bellybutton and making his legs feel like jelly. His hands reached out and scrambled, collided with Lance's head, went into thick brown-red hair, the sunshine streaming in the room making it more red than anything which Keith noted with some far portion of his brain as the rest of it was only capable of going, ngggh.

All of this was before, Lance touched his cock, hand slipping around Keith's width, stroking up and down his length, Keith gripped onto hair and pulled and pushed, trying to hold onto himself, and Lance was barely touching his cock, the hold was so loose, his focus on was his stomach, on his bellybutton, but he was stroking Keith through it all. How could Lance do so many things at once? Keith forced his eyes open to look down to watch it all, to watch how it was happening, he had to know how to do it back because he wasn't disappointing Lance, he couldn't disappoint Lance.

As he looked down he met Lance's eyes, Lance's pupils were so dilated Keith could barely make out the rim of green around them, his lips were wet and puffy from pressing against Keith's stomach and Keith wanted them back there, why were they off of there, but Lance's hand was still moving, even if it was irritatingly, teasingly loose.

"Are you ready, Keith?" Lance asked, all his cockiness from earlier gone, he was stripped bare in more ways than just his clothes. Lance still had the same nervous look he'd had on his face that had made Keith pull off his shirt because he didn't know how to articulate how much Lance bringing him to this room where they could be alone meant to him. Keith licked his lips, felt his eyes close and open as Lance did something with his wrist, his thumb against the tender skin at the tip of his cock, as if trying to talk him into being ready. Keith grinned, the nodded. "Been ready since day one," he said, and it was true.

One look, one minute, one hour, it was clear to Keith this was it. Lance McClain, as crazy as the guy was, as nuts as it sounded sometimes in Keith's head in his more rational moments when Lance wasn't in the room to distract him from remembering how to rational. Keith tugged at Lance's hair and then released a bit to only tug harder again, then ordered. "Get on with it, already."

It earned him that grin he loved, the half amused, half sexy smile as Lance pressed his mouth against his bellybutton again, mouthing around it, thrusting his tongue in out, around it, in it, in no pattern that could be guessed or figured out. But Keith tried to guess anyway, he couldn't help himself, he gripped at Lance's hair, tried not too but he pushed Lance's face more into his skin, only realizing it and letting a bit when he felt his pointed nose press a little to much into his belly.

Lance always laughed when Keith loosened his hold, this time was no exception the difference was Lance was taking his time. He was being almost lazy about it, instead of fast and furious like he was between classes; when he pushed Keith against a wall in a storage closet, unzipped the pants from his Academy uniform and rucked up his shirt, mouth and hands on his stomach, his bellybutton, then his mouth around Keith's cock. His mouth would be there by now, tongue doing things Keith hadn't known tongues could do, he was still improvising with his own, hoping he was duplicating or at least pleasing Lance just as much as Lance pleased him; he was pretty he was since when he got to push Lance against the wall in the closet he usually had shove something in Lance's mouth to keep him from being loud enough to attract attention. Literally before they'd come up with the idea, people had thrown open the doors wondering if someone was in trouble inside.

The memory made Keith heat up, which mean he triple hot from his normal, he groan, he was losing patience, his cock was thick and ready, Lance's grip was tighter, his hand doing more funny little twists and turns, again in no discernible pattern, why was Keith could never pin him down - he loved he could never pin him down.

"Damn it, Lance, fucking suck my cock," Keith ground out, tugging at Lance's hair hard enough Lance at to look up.

Lance grinned, canary happy. "Bossy, bossy, bossy," he muttered, but then his mouth was over Keith's cock, sucking down as much as he could take, Keith felt his eye roll into the back of his head, because Lance could take a lot.

"Oh, god yes, yes," Keith muttered, louder than he meant too, no where near as loud as Lance would get. He got lost in the sensations, familiar but not, up and down, hand twisting, tongue licking up as mouth pushed down, tongue darting left and right as wrist twisted right to left and Lance's lips sucked at the tip. Keith sighed, then hands were on his balls, Lance was moving up with just his mouth, and Keith felt close, so very close, when he felt something new, different and awesome.

One of Lance's wet fingers, covered in salvia and precome, pressed against Keith's anus, circling, at first, Keith keened, literally blushing but he felt the question Lance couldn't ask because his mouth was full. He nodded, then he remembered Lance might not be looking up and he said. "Yes, yes, yes." Because it was the one word he could say coherently.

Then he felt Lance push his finger in, the intrusion expected but of course unexpected. Lance kept on with the blow job not missing a beat, Keith tried to keep his eyes open to watch what he could, take mental notes he could remember later even if he couldn't focus on them now, but he couldn't. There was something pushing into him, Lance's mouth was hard suction, and his eyes rolled again, his lids fluttered shut.

Eyes closed he felt it more, the newer sensations, and he could visualize Lance's finger, it's length, how much of it was it inside of him, pushing in and moving out and pushing in more, wiggling around like it was, giving him another kind of pleasure, always more and more. Keith breathed into the sensation, completely loving it and without warning it all slammed into him, his orgasm caught him by surprise and he gave Lance no warning as white light appeared against his closed eyelids and he floated, then fell as everything went black.

When he woke up, he felt Lance's mouth against his throat, arm around his waist, body leaning against him. He was on the bed now, on his back and he felt the telltale heat of an embarrassing blush. "I uh, wow," he stammered out.

"Yeah, I'm good," Lance said, all his cocky confidence back in full force. He leaned up enough to look Keith in the eye and grinned. "I'm just glad the bed was behind you, kind of surprised you stayed standing for so long without a wall behind you."

Keith laughed. "I kept flashing to the damn closet from school."

Lance laughed. "This place is much cleaner, less dust and there is sunshine," he said, looking around and expanding his hands.

Keith lifted up, grabbed Lance's upper arms and pulled him back down and kissed him, tasting himself on Lance's lips and tongue, moaning into it and deepening the kiss. Lance did as well as they kissed for a long time, slip sliding, Keith dragged his hands down Lance's spine and started to reach for his cock, he could feel hard against his hipbone, but Lance grabbed his hand before he reached.

"Uh, uh, remember we are sticking that somewhere else," Lance said with a smirk.

Keith blushed, felt his belly flip and cock twitch, and he realized he was going to get hard again fast and he made a weird noise, he wasn't even sure what it was but Lance pressed his lips against his and smiled, reached over to the nightstand and came back with a small tube of lubricant. Lance's features shifted then from cocksure to serious, eyes going vulnerable and his free hand touching Keith's cheek and he kissed him again, soft and sweet. "You're sure?"

"Yes."

Lance nodded, swallowing. "Damn, now I feel like a virgin," he breathed out and Keith felt him shaking.

It threw Keith for all of two seconds, he knew the way to get Lance back on track, he moved up and kissed his jaw, trailing kisses to his throat and down to his shoulder, where his bit at the skin where neck and shoulder meet. "Fuck me already will you," he said.

Lance made an incoherent noise, then said something that sounded like, "Fuck yeah," and Keith suddenly found himself upended. Lance moved quickly, grabbed Keith by his hips, pulled him down the bed, then pushed his legs up and apart. "Pillow," Lance demanded.

"Pillow?"

"Want to be fucked, give me a pillow, babe," Lance said.

Keith felt behind his head and grabbed pillow and threw it at Lance's face.

Lance snickered. "Hips up."

"You're going to get you in me soon, right?" Keith bitched, feeling completely vulnerable in this new position, but loving that it was Lance that put them there, tilted his world off it's axis again without any permission - well that was wrong Keith had given him permission but Keith didn't like giving up control.

"Maybe," Lance teased, pushing the pillow under Keith's hips, then flattening his body, moving down and licking his tongue his over Keith's anus.

"Oh fuck me!"

"Kind of the point," Lance said, though it was muffled and Keith felt his eyes rolling back again, his stomach was flipping, and he was definitely erect again. His boyfriend had the best tongue, the best, best tongue in all the galaxies.

"Nnngh," Keith called out, his fingers gripping at the bedclothes he started to move into Lance's tongue thrusts, wanting more and more. Lots more. "More, more," he demanded.

Something cold happened and Keith bitched, "Cold!"

"Lube," Lance laughed and Keith felt his breath against his perineum, then the tongue was back with a finger, one of Lance's perfect long fingers.

More, Keith thought, he wanted more, he thrust into it, in them and he felt more come, and he might be chanting it, demanding it, and there might be muffled laughter coming from Lance. Keith loved it, it was awesome, it was amazing, it was perfect but he needed more and he was ready.

"Come on, fuck me already," he yelled out, eyes wide staring.

And then all sensation stopped.

"What the fuck!"

Lance laughed, on his knees between Keith's legs, he reached out and put a hand on Keith's stomach, just missing his penis, stroking his thumb near Keith's bellybutton. "Shh, condom, lube, two seconds."

"Too long," Keith bitched, but he rolled his eyes resigned to waiting a few more seconds to lose his virginity.

Then came the perfect intrusion, Keith moaned, eyes wide with shock and amazement, and he watched Lance's face, the concentration then Lance opened wide and he met Keith's gaze. "God," Lance whispered.

"Just me," Keith said, taking a page out Lance's book.

Lance laughed and on the chuckle Keith felt him thrust all in, and he moaned, eyes wide at the intrusion and how it didn't feel like a intrusion at all, it all felt so right, like Lance belonged there, looming over him, the only thing that felt off was Lance wasn't moving.

Lance was draped over him though, he bent down and over and pressed their foreheads together, and he met Keith's eyes, Keith met his. "Move?" Keith suggested.

"Bossy, ass," Lance gritted out. "I'm trying not to come on the spot here, you're so fucking tight, and so fucking sexy, how the hell did I land you anyway?"

Keith felt his heartbeat start to pound, in his ears, Lance's face was so close, he could count freckles on the fair skin, a few scars on his chin he'd must've gotten as a kid, and he really wanted to lick. So he lifted up and licked them, and Lance groaned.

"Shit," Lance muttered. "If I come faster than a fifteen year old boy in his first groping session it's all your fault."

Keith was going to laugh, but Lance pulled back and then thrust back in hard and fast, and Keith forgot what laughter was, what speech was, he arched up and into the thrusts, reaching up and gripping hold of Lance wherever his hands could grab onto skin and pulled him in even closer. There was thrust after thrust, his own cock between them getting friction from their bodies being so close together. Then Lance moved and there were stars, and Keith heard his voice yell something that wasn't English or Japanese, and it was all stars until it was white and then black again.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Sven smiled when Amelia appeared across from him the booth Sunday morning, it was slow at Lena's. She held a mug, in her hands and she took a long sip. He tried to not to watch her too intensely, it was hard not to stare. He found her beautiful. She looked tired he thought, more tired than she usually did. She somehow managed to look engaging and human at these before noon hours of the day. It was so early still the sun felt too low in the sky for Sven, a part of him wanted to go back to the dorm and sleep. He'd only dream about Amelia though and the real thing was better than imagined one.

"Did Keith come home?" she asked.

"No," Sven said, shaking his head that she'd asked about Keith, again.

"With Lance?" she asked, her eyes brightening but not quite as much as usual.

"I think so," Sven said, drinking the last of his coffee and wishing he had more, but there was no way he was telling her he was out on her break. "He never called."

Amelia grinned. "I think it's amazing how close they are, how it all happened, how they were talking all that time on the radio..." she trailed off off. "It's all kind of romantic. Romance doesn't seem to really happen, you know? Like it does on television or in books. But those two, they are like a real novel."

Sven sighed. "I just hope McClain doesn't hurt him, cause if he does I'll have to break his bones."

Amelia laughed, her whole face lit up for a full moment and beautiful music flew from her throat. Sven felt delighted that his loyalty to Keith could create such a response, though it surprised him that the threat of violence would make one laugh.

"Would you really?" she asked, sipping her tea.

Sven nodded. "Ja, ja. Keith is a rare kind of person. I don't know much about Lance but I do know he's never stayed with one person very long. Keith's in love with him, I think."

Amelia nodded. "I think, and I can't really give you proof because I don't know him either. But I think Lance cares about him, Sven. A lot. He's different with Keith, than he's ever been with any woman I've heard about him dating."

Sven didn't know what to do with it, he rolled it around in his mind. "Do you think that means he's different than the other men?"

"I think so. I've seen him with guys at Riff's. It's nothing like he is with Keith. It's sex, lust, flirting to flirt to get to foreplay to get to nudity," she paused blushing for a moment.

Sven felt his stomach turn, he hoped she wasn't picturing Lance McClain naked, last thing he wanted her to be thinking about. Why wasn't she staring at him and undressing him with her eyes.

"He holds Keith's hand, he stares at him, he can't stop smiling around him. He looks like someone hit with the lovestick."

"Lovestick?"

"It's what my Gran would say. You've been hit with the lovestick, whenever I had a new crush in high school..." Amelia frowned, her pallor seemed to go ashen for a moment. She sighed. "To bad the lovestick whacked me about all the wrong boys," she muttered.

"I think there is a right, man, for you," Sven said, meaning him. He knew he was staring a bit intensely now at her but he wanted her to look at him, catch his gaze, see him.

Amelia's green eyes did meet his gaze, she held it for a long time and her cheeks flushed and then she averted her gaze down to her mug again. "I..." a timer went off on her watch. "I have to get back to work," she muttered but Sven didn't think that was what she was going to say at all. She picked up his mug as she left the booth. "I'll be right back with your refill."

Sven nodded his thanks, watched her walk away and wished he could get himself to ask her if she liked him at all, if they could be something in her eyes. He was afraid of the answer, and that meant he couldn't ask her because then he'd never be able to look her in the eye again. He'd miss her.

"Lovestick," he muttered under his breath and then pulled out his book on Drule Languages, and started to read and wondered how he was ever going to pass his next test in the class. He'd managed to learn English only because his parents had spoken both Norwegian and English in their household while he was growing up, he was sure of it. It was the only way he was bi-lingual, because otherwise he was a waste at languages a waste at them.

"You're worried about the next test, aren't you?" Amelia said, seeing him frowning at the book as she placed his mug back on the table.

He looked up, she was so much better than the rough language of the Drules. "Yes."

"I'll help you study after my shift, okay?" she smiled.

Sven grinned and his day got a lot brighter.

~~.~~

Lance woke up aching in all the best ways, smiling, with Keith using his chest as a pillow. Keith's nose was rubbing against his chin, and though it crossed his eyes Lance could look down the slope of his nose and study Keith's sleeping face. There was hair, across Keith's mouth and chin, Lance grinned as he perused the top of Keith's head and saw that it was spiked in a myriad of directions and looked more like a birds nest than even Pidge's unruly curly hair. Lance reached up, doing his best to be delicate to not wake up Keith, pulled some of the black strands off Keith's mouth. He wanted a clear view, he didn't get to simply stare at Keith often, not without Keith turning red, getting fidgety and then ordering to kiss him or stop with the staring already. Always so bossy, Lance thought, and he wondered at how much he loved it. He'd never thought he wanted to be the bitch in a relationship, he stifled his laughter at himself. It was what it was he thought. He didn't really feel like a bitch, especially since he pushed Keith's buttons to make the guy turn into a bossy, sexually aggressive fiend...

And damn was it worth it, Lance thought, staring at Keith's face.

Keith was gorgeous, perfect, he looked like he belonged in the movies or something. He could be the next Bruce Lee, Lance thought, a martial art guru for a new age of Earth. One with long dark lashes and nearly black eyes, chiseled cheekbones and a perfect mouth. Handsome, hot, beautiful Lance thought, Keith was beautiful... You couldn't say that about him, but you could about Keith, in more ways than one. Lance felt out of league, he wasn't some huge catch. He was a flirt, he was charming, he was hot - he knew it, in an intangible kind of way because he knew how people looked at him, he knew what people told him about himself when he tried to play modest. He wasn't always sure he believed it as much as his cocksure statements made it sound. He was skinny, he had too many damn freckles, his shoulders didn't fit him frame because they weren't meant to be on such a skinny body - freaking genetics were weird. And his damn eyes refused to pick a color.

So far he hadn't done anything stupid, or made an impulsive decision that scared off Keith, but it kept niggling at the back of his mind that he could, or rather would, do something someday to piss Keith off. It scared him, he didn't want Keith out of his life, out of his arms, he wanted to do this forever... That was a trip, it freaked him out more it wasn't freaking him out, that he wanted to commit. But it was what it was, he just knew, Keith was it for him.

It was like flying.

His granddad put him in a cockpit and put his hands on the controls, at five years old, and he had no other memories of that year of his life, or even really the year after but he remembered that moment with sharp vivid clarity. The second his grandfather took his own hands off the control and Lance was flying the plane; it was who he was, a flier.

He'd met Keith's eyes outside of Taylor's office, he'd kept side eyeing him the whole way to the med bay and it'd been lust, yeah, hell it'd been major lust but it'd felt different from any other time he'd asked anyone else out. Then when Keith got on the Kessel and his hands landed on Lance's hips, he knew he'd remember the moment, forever with the same vivid sharp colors from when he first flew on his own. Keith was right, he was Lance's. Lance was made for Keith.

Lance snorted, he was being way too serious for so early in the morning, and they had to check out and get back to the house, it was Garrett BBQ day, he had to help out, plus it was the last one with Katie and Dai in the house, before the wedding. Couldn't miss it, and he wanted Keith there, he wanted to show him off...make him blush, fidget and order Lance not to stare or show him off like he was a piece of meat for sale. Like Lance would ever sell him.

Now the question was how best to wake Keith up? Lance looked over at the clock on the nightstand, grinning at the empty condom wrappers tossed on and around it. Oh, yeah, best Saturday ever, he thought, another vivid sharp memory. They had two hours before checkout, which meant he could have his wicked way with Keith again...he turned toward the other nightstand, frowning as he picked up the lube and found the small tube to be empty, and then he remembered they'd used the last condom just before passing out last night.

"Eh, can still rock his world," Lance muttered, and he started to gently but not too gently slip out from under Keith.

"Hmm," Keith said, his hands coming up and slamming down on Lance's body. "Where are you going..."

"Gotta pee, want me to do it here?"

Keith's face screwed up in disgust and he shook his head. "No," he mumbled sleepily.

Lance grinned and slipped out, and watched as Keith instantly settled himself onto his stomach, putting his perfect ass on display. Lance grinned, just what he wanted to have happen. To bad he really did have to pee.

~~.~~

Keith felt cold hands press against his ass, it jolted him from half awake-half asleep state he'd been in since Lance had ruined the cozy warmth of the bed, taken away the heartbeat that had been a featured sound in all his dreams - which had been reenactments of the day before where they'd been both a lot bendier and faster to be ready to go again. They'd been both swiftly been ready to be with the other one all day and night Saturday that it was more so in Keith's dreams amazed him, he smiled but his thoughts were more on the current reality.

"Did you wash your hands in the cold water," he asked.

"No, I used warm water and soap."

"You're part lizard?" Keith asked.

"Yes. On my mother's side of the family, her great grandmother married a lizard man, hence I'm always a bit cold..." Lance's voice went muffled, as his tongue started to lick around Keith's anus. His hands were warming up, as he massaged as he pushed Keith's buttocks apart.

"Oh!" Keith cried out, gripping onto the sheets and he pushed his butt into Lance's face, wanting, needing, ready to beg for more if Lance wanted him too. "Fuck, Lance, best tongue..."

He felt Lance's laughter, but Lance didn't let up instead he curled his tongue and thrust it harder in and out of Keith. His hands going up to Keith's hips, gripping them tightly, probably to try to stop Keith from suffocating him, Keith thought but he couldn't stop himself from pushing back into every thrust of Lance's tongue. It felt too good, too perfect, and once again he was getting harder than he ever had before. Before Lance he'd thought he'd known the capacity of his penis' ability to be filled with blood, to rush up and curve hard against his stomach but he hadn't known. Lance got him harder and more needy than anything he'd ever known... with a touch, a look, a stupid word or a look.

He'd spent one flight class, harder than hell, with Lance egging him as usual in his ear, extra competitive because there was a surprise obstacle test of their speed and maneuverability skills. All because before Lance had hopped into his cockpit, he'd looked over at Keith and said. "Beating you," with a wink. The visuals that had swept through Keith's mind, he blushed now thinking about them, pushed his ass into Lance's face harder and groaned. He was so close.

"Gonna," he cried out.

"Yeah?" Lance asked, his voice slightly less muffled, his tongue teasing the outer rim of Keith's hole.

"Get your fucking tongue back in there, gonna... wanna..." Keith yelled.

"Wanna come with my tongue inside you and that's it, Keith. Just my tongue in you and my hands on your hips, huh?"

Shit, Lance wasn't even trying for dirty but it was, it was so dirty, Keith thought and moved up, glared at Lance who was teasing his asshole with his thumb now and lazily staring at him. Lance gave him a cocky smile as their eyes met. "Don't talk, do," Keith hissed.

"Yeah, going to thrust my tongue hard inside of your asshole, really hard, tasting you, and taking you pushing back at me, gripping your hips and putting bruises there in the shape of me hands and then you're going to come hard, messing up this frilly white lacy blanket..."

Keith whimpered and he nodded.

Lance grinned but he didn't move, he was waiting and Keith swore. "Please," he muttered and then he added. "Get fucking to it!"

Lance busted out laughing, but the next thing Keith knew his tongue was back, his hands where back, and they were definitely bruising him but Keith loved it and he blushed when he realized Lance knew it, knew that, and Lance was brutal with his rhythm.

~~.~~

Griffin woke up as his face hit his floor and he inhaled a family of dust bunnies, hacking he got up and made his way into his bathroom, turned on the cold water and sipped it straight from the faucet. His head was buzzing, with low grade psychic pain, but there wasn't a thing he could recall, not even an emotion, so he looked up planning to let the dream go but when he looked up, on his bathroom mirror, written in his black eyeliner in his messy scrawl were the words:

**_Lance, death, snakes, Keith, betrayal._**

He felt sick, he felt sick and he turned and grabbed at his toilet paper roll, pulling out as much as he could, then ran it under the water and started to rub out the words _Lance_ and _Death_, over and over, smudging the black onto the mirror, making a worse mess than anything but at least taking away the connection of death with Lance. His mind rationalizing, his mind coming up with excuses. Visisons weren't always exact, they could be metaphoric, they could be something different all together, death didn't equal death - Didn't matter that any other time he saw a death in his mind it had been true.

But he hadn't known what he'd seen, what it was... this was new, this wasn't about the other dreams he had about Lance. This wasn't about some far off future, where Griffin didn't have a place in his life. Where Keith was there... Griffin looked at the last two word, _Keith, betrayal_. Had he put them together out of wishful thinking, was their a connection?

He got more toilet paper, he smudged away all the words, he stared at the black smudged eyeliner marring his reflection and decided he didn't want to make a decision yet. He didn't want to know. He never asked to see any of the shit he saw...

~~.~~

Amelia felt like the most horrible person on the face of the earth. She'd always sort of known Sven liked her, but she'd been able to push it to the side and not think about it to remain his friend. She liked him well enough, he was nice and he was funny but he was Sven to her in a way that made him not _Sven_. Now though all she could see was the depth of his crush on her, which she'd somehow told herself was a guy liking a girl he found attractive, not something real, not something that was bigger than the size of her bra, as her grandmother would say. She'd tell Amelia, that boy's crush on you is the size of your bra, don't you go getting hit by no lovestick for him - she should have listened. It was Fargate after all. Stupid Fargate Gaskill, who could ruin her life, ruin her career in the Garrison.

She'd read through the manual of rules of the Academy and even the rules and regulations for after graduation. If Gaskill put that video of her online, if he made it go viral, it would ruin her career chances. Public nudity, even if it was against her will, because she could never prove that she hadn't known about the camera. Especially in her own room, it was just too much of a bad behavior, unbecoming an officer. It was illegal to do pornography, especially underage, and it looked like she had. Fargate had edited it all so he couldn't be shown as her partner, and now it all meant she had to hurt to Sven.

But not only Sven, because Fargate didn't care about Sven. He cared about Lance McClain. She was supposed to use Sven, to get closer to Keith, to spy on Lance and if he got to near the dorms, tell Fargate or his girlfriend Stella. She was supposed to spy, dig up any dirt she could find, anything so that Fargate could get Lance kicked out of the Academy. Fargate wanted revenge, it was all he cared about, it was about his pride, and he didn't care who he hurt to get it. Her, Sven, Keith, Lance...

She was a pawn. She knew it.

She hated herself but she had no choice, she just had to wait for her opening, and around two o'clock her opening came when Keith finally called Sven.

"Keith who?" Sven teased after answering his phone.

"Is he with Lance, still!" She asked, thankful her interest in them as a couple was sincere but now it felt dirty. She held back the guilty sigh and only smiled at Sven.

"Yes, that is Amelia," Sven said. "Uh, hmm I... Okay. What, uh... Hi, Lance. What? Um, I don't... I..." Sven handed her the phone.

"Hello?" she said, wondering why the world Keith would want to talk to her. She still felt he hadn't forgiven her for Clive.

"Hey, Amelia, it's Lance. Look, the Garrets are epic BBQers, you have to come with Sven to the BBQ tonight. It''ll be great, backyard right against the ocean, right? So if he doesn't ask, just tell him you're coming, okay?"

Amelia felt her throat tighten. This was it, her chance and she looked at Sven, to see him seething quietly as he looked out the window and blushing. He had never asked her out, she realized then and there he was afraid too. He sensed she wasn't interested, but yet he hoped and she was going to have to use that hope. She almost started to cry but she bit her cheek. "Sven and I will be at the BBQ," she announced. "Thanks for the invite, Lance."

"No problem. Sven's pretty hot, right?" Lance said.

"Hey," she heard Keith squawk in the background.

"Baby, no one is as hot you, I'm saying for a straight boy who likes blondes..."

Amelia found herself smiling despite her guilt, despite herself. "I'm hanging up," she said.

"Good, I have to appease my boyfriend I'm after his dorm mate, now..." Lance trailed off and the phone clicked.

"They are so cute," Amelia said because it was true.

Sven was looking at her, he shifted in his seat. "I don't know what, uh, McClain was thinking, you don't have to come to the BBQ..."

Amelia took a breath, she really didn't want to hurt him, she had to try to find a way to balance this. "I want too," she smiled. "It'll be fun, plus this way you can vet Lance out for Keith, and have me to help you be a little less biased. And I think it'd be fun to hang out for the night by the ocean, with good BBQ, with you," she added.

Sven's eyes widened a bit and then he nodded. "Oh, well, okay, then. We should uh go to the dorm then, get ready. I've had enough of this foul language for the day anyway," Sven said closing his Drule Languages text book.

Amelia walked out next to him, hoping that maybe after she got Fargate off her back she could explain everything to him, that he wouldn't hate her, that they could maybe still be friends. She didn't think it would happen though.


	16. Chapter 16

_**Notes:**_ SnarktronForce Ladies, BBQ things we discussed, next chapter. Sorry. Everyone else, this chapter is a lot tamer than the last two were, sorry but don't worry Lance and Keith will be alone again. :-) Hope everyone enjoys.

Chapter Sixteen

Keith was timing it.

They'd checked out of the bed and breakfast and started walking back a little bit after eleven, Lance had grabbed Keith's hand in his, as he always did. And as it always did Keith's heart would stop and restart faster. It kept surprising him that Lance, this guy, this amazing hot, smart, funny, crazy guy wanted him - Keith Kogane. He'd squeezed Lance's hand back and allowed him to lead him, only because Lance knew the way better. He would rather take the lead, to be the one to pull Lance home. He blushed at the thought, Lance knew this as he noticed Lance wasn't leading the way obviously. It wasn't at all like the trip to the bed and breakfast, not hands on and bossy. And full of Lance's voice in his ear, turning him on even more than Lance's hands all over his body.

It'd been about a minute and half of silence between them now, Keith knew it would be soon. It was a comfortable rhythm: Step, step, a shared smile, step, step...

"Do you surf?"

Keith felt a swell of happiness rise up as Lance spoke. Keith liked the silence, it was comfortable and not awkward. He'd always wished for someone he could have comfortable silences with and with Lance he'd found it. It was like the handholding, it was simple and easy and it'd meant more than he wanted to dwell on. No for once Keith just wanted to enjoy it, to savor it, to love it. But it was also totally endearing that Lance couldn't go more than a minute without making a sound.

"No," Keith said, giving Lance a laugh and a smile at the notion. His eyes falling on the surfers that Lance must been watching to evoke the question.

"Hmm," was Lance's reply and then he fell back into silence, his eyes moving off the ocean and toward the stairs they were coming upon.

Keith remembered the stairs. In fact, he was impressed with himself, how much of the route he found familiar despite the fact he'd been without sight for the walk. Especially given he'd felt uncomfortable and out of his element. His only peace had been Lance's voice, because he'd never shut up, and his strong hands touching him, holding his hands, and when he wasn't his fingers pressing hard into his hips. Lance telling him with touch that he'd never let Keith fall. He trusted Lance. It was a new feeling, to trust someone so much, so soon. Keith looked over at Lance, Lance caught his gaze and he licked his lips. Keith smiled, he liked this walk more, he loved it. It was quiet, the comfortable silence a dream come true. Even when his boyfriend intruded on the peace with his words.

Palms pressed tight together, step, step, a gaze with a smile and a wink, step, step...

"Do want to learn how?" Lance asked, still on the surfing.

"No," Keith said, laughing on the inside.

"Yeah, me either," Lance said.

Keith bit the inside of his cheek. It was uncanny, one minute and a little less than thirty seconds, every time. Keith squeezed Lance's hand as they hit the bottom of the stairs, Lance glanced over at him and grinned. Keith held his gaze for a beat, looked away. He waited, enjoying the companionable silence.

Step, step, glance, he squeezed Lance's hand again and moved forward taking the lead.

"Where are you going?" Lance asked.

Keith stayed silent and he kept his lead. Enjoying the fact he could create the words that came out Lance's mouth so easily. He remembered the walk from the sound of the ocean. It was closer now, less than ten feet away. There was a nearby road and Keith remembered the sound of the cars, and the sounds from the restaurant that they were currently passing. After they passed the restaurant it was a straight shot back to Lance's place.

Keith grinned. Step, step, he and Lance caught each other's gaze, step, step...

"You managed to memorize the route while blindfolded didn't you?" Lance asked.

Keith shrugged. Lance shook his head at him. "You're not real, there is no fucking way you can be real" Lance said, studying Keith with wide eyes and an even wider grin before falling silent again.

Keith shook his head and noticed Lance had moved closer to Keith's side, his grip on Keith's hand was harder. Keith didn't think Lance was trying to start a conversation when he spoke, or that he really wanted to break the silence between them. There was something in the tone of Lance's voice when he did speak. His voice was lower than usual, like he might break the spell, his words more measured out less rambling. There was a weight to the silence, between them a charged energy, that was part of the silence. It buzzed there while Lance managed to keep his mouth shut and it made Keith believe Lance enjoyed peace as well.

Step, step, glance, smile, step...

"Hey, that cloud looks like an antelope," Lance blurted out.

Keith laughed. "Lance?"

"Yeah?"

"It's okay to be quiet."

Lance laughed. "I'm trying, it's nice, it's all sunny, it's not too hot, we...yesterday and this morning were...I don't have words for it, it was fantastic. And this is too and I like this, just being with you. It's good, it reminds me of this morning, I was watching you sleep."

Keith blushed, his free hand went to his hair for a second in a self-conscious gesture. He'd been embarrassed to walk into in the bathroom and see what he'd looked like. Upset Lance had seen him such a mess, even though Lance had insisted he found his bedhead sexy. "I guess if you can't stay quiet, we can talk about clouds," Keith said.

Lance shrugged. "It does, well it did look like an antelope," he said peering up at the sky.

Keith laughed. "It's just I find it absolutely adorable you can't stay quiet, for over a minute. This is the real reason you're always in my ear in flight training right? An excuse to talk?"

Lance laughed, deep and throaty and he winked at Keith. "You found me out, I'm a compulsive talker, can't help myself, I have to talk. I could try to go two minutes...for you could I try, I know you like the quiet."

Keith was surprised by the offer, he hadn't meant for Lance to make any such offer at all. He liked, no he loved Lance's voice. He could go all his life with it in his ear, at all hours and never tire of it he was sure. Keith stopped walking and gripped Lance's hand. "No. No, never stop talking," he breathed out more than spoke.

"Okay, never. Talk, talk, talk," Lance said, "Piece of cake."

Keith smiled and turned to keep walking but he saw the house and wave of sadness overtook him and he stopped walking. "Wow, they already have grills up. Four?"

Lance followed his gaze. "Yeah. Chicken, ribeye steak, grilled vegetables and fish, all get their own grill. The Garrets take their BBQ very seriously. You'd think they were from Texas or something rather than around here. I think it's because they all need to eat so much, I don't know. I mean Hunk's the tiniest, if you don't count their mother."

Keith laughed. "So the rest are Dai's size."

"Around that, bigger, taller... really, Dai's in the middle."

Keith felt small imagining it, he wondered how it'd feel surrounded by it, his eyes caught a messy head of brown hair down by the water line. "Pidge?" he asked, pointing over.

Lance followed the line of sight. "Yeah, let's go see what's he's doing and find out who is in the house already," Lance said and he squeezed Keith's hand but stayed still.

Keith grinned, the pulled Lance behind him as they made their way down the hill they were on, down toward the House and the piece of private beach that belonged to the tiny place. It was a great place, Keith found himself hoping that Lance, Hunk and Pidge would be able to stay there. He didn't want to think about them having to leave. Especially if it meant Lance would have to move in with that bartender, he squeezed Lance's hand and thought, _mine_.

~~.~~

Hunk Garrett walked down off the back deck, hand shielding his eyes from the sun as he look for Pidge down by the water, and he grinned as he saw that Lance was back. Pidge and Keith Kogane seemed to be sparring, intrigued instead of calling Pidge in like his mother had told him too he started down toward the water to join them.

Lance was sitting in the sand, knees up, toes in the sand, his sneakers off to the side, leaning forward and watching the sight in front of him. Hunk slowed his walk a bit, taking in the picture of Lance watching Keith with Pidge. Lance looked still, at peace, he was watching both of the, he heard him call out a few suggestions to Pidge. Hunk then looked over at Keith, it was the most sure he'd ever seen the guy. He looked relaxed, steady, rock solid as he went through the moves, motions and sparring with Pidge. Martial Arts where his element, Hunk thought, as he shook his head. Lance had come home and said he was going with Keith Kogane...

Lance had come home with a new guy or girl as a date since the day Hunk met him, if he came home without a new number or a date lined up it meant he had a cold or the flu. Hunk watched the days progress with a bit of shock. Lance seemed serious about the guy, he talked about him nonstop, he wanted to call him all the time, and before Hunk new it his serial dating roommate had a boyfriend.

Keith seemed okay, Hunk had much chance to talk with him though, see what he was like past the rumors he knew from school. Keith was quiet whenever he was in the house, or in their shared classes. He was the complete opposite of Lance from what Hunk could tell, Lance seemed so smitten though, he hoped they'd work out. Keith seemed steady, responsible even, someone he'd never thought he'd see Lance with. It was better than any of the other men Lance had seemed to gravitate toward. Hunk had never liked any of the other guys who came to the house. It was as friends, with benefits, Lance had a knack for casual sex that Hunk knew he'd never understand. If he had a one night stand, he never expected to see the girl again, Lance he made friends with them. The guys though he hung out with, sometimes he kept sleeping with them. Griffin had always bugged Hunk the most, a guy with good intentions who always seemed to make the wrong deal a devil.

And in a few weeks Lance would probably be bunking in the guys spare room, he hoped Keith would take away any chance of anything else coming from that... Hunk also hoped for a miracle they could keep the house but he was pragmatic guy. It wasn't going to happen.

He plopped down next to Lance on the sand. "What's going on?"

"We got to talking with Pidge, and he asked Keith for some help with his moves. He keeps getting slammed in his Judo class."

Hunk nodded. "Yeah, he's almost one big bruise."

"He also claims Baltans are supposed to be Ninjas."

Hunk sputtered. "What?"

"It's true. All Baltans are Ninjas and Scientists. Every Baltan family has their own Ninja legacy, a family secret training ritual. As an orphan I have none. But will you teach me, Keith? I need to know?"

Hunk watched as Keith looked at Lance, he felt Lance fidget beside him and then nudge him hard with his elbow. Hunk nudged him back harder and Lance tipped over into the sand. Pidge started to laugh as Keith came over to help Lance up, who spit out some sand before he bust out laughing hysterically. "Watch your strength, dude!"

"Sorry," Hunk shrugged.

"Keith, I am waiting for my answer, please?"

Hunk watched as Lance looked at Keith as he whacked sand off his right side. "It can't hurt right, I mean weren't you a blackbelt by his age anyway?"

"Yeah, yeah, you're right. Sure, Pidge. I'll be your Master."

Pidge grinned. "Awesome. Because I'm already a kickass scientist."

"Language!" Hunk said.

"Seriously, there is not enough soap in the world to get him to stop swearing at this point," Lance muttered.

"Tsuyoshi Fabian Garrett, Lance Charles McClain, bring Pidge into this house now he's been in the sun way too long!"

Hunk and Lance both winced, Hunk went to start gathering Pidge's sand toys and he had to laugh as he heard Keith say, "Hunk's mother pulls the full name on you?"

"Uh, yeah," he said. "Come on, Pidge, let Hunk get your toys, let's go introduce Keith to Sora."

"Sure," Pidge said and Hunk turned in time to see Pidge grab the hand that Lance didn't already have in his grasp. Keith looked down at Pidge with wide eyes for the briefest of moments but then said nothing and the two of them let Pidge lead the way into house.

Hunk decided he liked guy, maybe he'd be good for Lance. But not at the moment, because Lance was paying for leaving him with Pidge's toys, the little genius had brought out ever single sand toy and some non-beach toys it seemed he own and then not used any of them and collected seashells it seemed. Hunk sighed and started to put the collected shells into a plastic bucket for the kid to keep them.

~~.~~

Lance popped open two beers, and made his way back outside to the corner of the deck, he, Keith, Hunk, Pidge, Sven and Amelia had taken over as their own. He grinned as he sat down in the chair he and Keith were sharing, he wrapped his body around Keith from behind again and dangled the beer in front of him. Keith took, Lance whispered in his ear, "having fun?"

Keith leaned back to whisper his answer. "Yeah," he said, sounding surprised.

Lance laughed and shook his head; he'd go into that more later when they were alone, he knew the story Hunk and Pidge were telling everyone. After all it was about him. They were trying to embarrass him, which wasn't going to happen. He had no shame. Keith though it was hard to tell was listening to every word about the story intently, about the first time Lance and Hunk were left alone in charge of a very sick Pidge. It was a wonder the kid was alive to tell the tale, Hunk didn't come out of the tale smelling like roses either but Lance knew he'd handled it badly, in fact he'd totally freaked out and left for a few hours, leaving poor Hunk alone with Pidge. Until his guilt got to him and he came trudging back, tail between his legs with the latest paper on String Theory for Pidge and a remote controlled truck for Hunk as bribes.

"Hey!" They'd gotten to the part where he'd snuck out the window. "I always said I am not qualified to raise a genius."

"Neither of you two are," Pidge said. "I think sometimes I am raising them, I tell Hunk when to go shopping, Lance when to go bed, Katie and I do the accounting together. And Dai came to me for advice on his proposal to her."

Sven choked on his beer, Amelia had to start pounding his back, but he kept coughing and coughing. But Hunk, Hunk fell out of his chair, onto a weak board of the deck, and right through to the sandy ground underneath. Everyone stood up, jumped back from the hole and then peered down. Hunk looked up and yelled. "What about Dai coming to you about proposing to Katie!"

"He wrote her a series of Haikus that ended with the proposal but he didn't want them to be trite, or silly so he came to me for help," Pidge yelled down into the hole.

Lance buried his face into where Keith's neck and shoulder met, inhaling hair as he tried not laugh hysterical and get control of his voice. By that point people had run under the deck and onto the deck, carefully.

"Tsuyoshi, are you all right," his mother yelled, peering down.

"I'm better than okay, Ma," he yelled up.

Dai was next to him, put his hand on his shoulder. "You sure? What happened?"

"I hit that weak board with my ass."

"Language in front of Pidge," Sora Garrett said.

Lance laughed. "Sora, we don't need to need to worry about Pidge and language. He's a poet among us mere mortals..."

Hunk beamed. "A regular Arakida Moritake, aren't you bro?"

"Who?" Dai said.

Keith started laughing which Lance found awesome and then he couldn't stop, which made Pidge start to giggle, though Lance was pretty sure the kid didn't get why he and Hunk were so happy at Dai's expense, not yet anyway. Keith shook his head at him, smiling and Lance nodded. "I told you, Garrett family BBQ's rock."

"This is pretty fun," Amelia said. "Sven is wondering what he missed while he was suffocating, as am I?" she said.

Sven nodded and took a careful sip of his beer, Lance laughed. "Pidge, tell them about the Haikus, while all three of you carefully walk around the hole Hunk made with his ass."

"Lance Charles McClain."

"Sorry, Sora."

"Callen is giving the signal that he, Haru and Tarou are done with the food. You and Keith bring the table on this deck down to the ground with the others. No one will be eating on this dangerous deck..." she shook her head. "Laughing about falling through the floor, only my thickheaded children and their friends."

"Aw, that's so romantic," Amelia said. "I think it's sweet he wanted it be right so he asked Pidge for help."

Lance shook his head. "Katie thinks he wrote it, Pidge, how much did Dai really write?"

Pidge pushed up his glasses. "Well, his ideas were in the right direction but his wording was.. well... I wrote about 95% of them."

Lance had to put his head down on Keith's shoulder again, as he shook with laughter. Hunk came up. "Mom said we have to move the table..."

"Get off this deck you'll make us all fall down!" Lance shouted.

Keith started to laugh again, he'd gotten himself under control, Lance counted that as a score. He sighed and turned to Lance. "I need you to let me go, got to hit the head."

Lance nodded, kissed him hard and fast first though. "Don't take too long, but long enough to get out of moving this."

"No, no, wait for me," Keith said, looking at the table.

Lance rolled his eyes. "Sven you have suffienct air to help us move this?"

Sven nodded and picked up the corner opposite from Lance, as Hunk hefted up the other end, while Pidge climbed onto it and sat in the middle indian style. "What are you doing, you think this is your carriage, kid?" Lance said.

"Sure," Pidge said.

"He don't weight nothing."

Lance shot Sven a look. "Fine with me," Sven said.

So the three of them carefully, carried down the table as Pidge tried to stay sitting on the middle, Lance laughed as the kid had to jump off and do a somersault to save his seven year old pride so he too didn't land on his ass in the sand. "Good landing, squirt!"

"Where did Amelia go?" Lance asked, realizing she was gone.

"Pidge come on, we have to wash our hands before food," Hunk said, grabbing Pidge and hoisting him onto his shoulders before Sven could say anything.

"She went to the bathroom," Sven said.

Lance nodded and sat on the picnic table top rather than the bench. "How is it going, you know with her? I hope you didn't think I butted in too much..."

"I did think you butted in too much, until she said yes, then I was kind of happy you did." Sven sat down next to him. "Why did you do that?"

"I hate watching people pine. I don't know what it is. I do it do strangers too. I grab them at bars, when I see two people checking each other out, but they don't go talk to each other. Grab 'em make them dance. I mean seems lame to me to be attracted and do nothing. I mean if I'd known Keith was so hot...would've been with him a hell of a lot sooner. I just never laid eyes on him before. Seems weird, you know, but it's true. I hate being grateful he almost crashed into the moon but there you go."

"Keith's doesn't much, I mean at all. Amelia set up on a blind date once but beyond that you are the only guy I've seen him date," Sven said.

Lance looked Sven in the eyes and kind of wished he hadn't. Sven's voice was soft, his accent made him sound a little bit goofy to Lance's ears, used to Californian and mid-western accents, but his eyes. They were like the sharp edge of a knife, looking right into his soul, Sven meant business into the lead up to you-hurt-my-friend-I-hurt-you. Lance made the decision to wait Sven out.

Sven held his gaze. "Keith's not just some guy. He's going to go somewhere when he graduates. This war, he'll not fight it he'll up us win it, finding a way to stop the Drules with force or diplomacy. I know he's studying it for that reason, anyway. So, don't take him for granted and don't mess with his head, or hurt him by treating him like he's some disposable..."

"I'm going to stay with Keith forever," Lance interrupted, because he couldn't even hear someone imply he would ever think of Keith as disposable. It was impossible, Keith wasn't someone who you met, looked into his eyes and touched and then forgot about. Sven was right, Keith wasn't an average guy, he was the guy going somewhere. A lot like Pidge, they both had that extra special something that made them better than the average guys around them. Lance swallowed. "Or, until he realizes he's too good for me. And if, if I do hurt him... Gut me."

"Hey, Lance," Tarou Garrett shouted. "We need your help with the bonfire."

The shout from Tarou kind of undermined his last statement to Sven but Lance meant it, he would let Sven literally gut him and leave him for dead if he hurt Keith. "I mean it," he said because he could tell it hadn't sunk in yet. Before he stood up to help the with the fire.

~~.~~

Keith was shocked to find Amelia had waited for him to come out of the downstairs bathroom, he smiled shyly at her as she played with her hands a bit before looking at him. "I just, I wanted to know if you're still mad at me."

"Mad at you?"

"About Clive?"

Keith shuddered.

"Yeah, I know, I'm so sorry but my parents guilted me into it and you were the only gay guy who was unattached I could think of..."

"I'm not mad at you, I'm happy that your family's genetics were kind to you," he said in all seriousness. "Is that why you waited for me?"

"No, it's Sven."

Keith nodded.

"How much, I mean how much does he like me?"

Keith looked at her, he was wondering why she was asking a question with such an obvious answer but maybe it wasn't obvious to her. Also he had no real idea what Sven thought about in his head, in his private thoughts. Keith knew Sven had eyes only for her and had for over two years. It was a crush that bordered a bit on obsession except that Sven didn't stalk her or anything, Keith didn't think them eating at Lena's counted. They were friends as well, and Sven told him he feared they were in the friend category a place that meant a relationship with a woman was doomed. Keith didn't get it.

"I really think you should ask Sven, Amelia," he finally answered. Sven's secrets were his own to tell her. What he knew, he had no right to tell.

Amelia sighed. "You're right. It's just, someone told me recently they think Sven's in love with me, and it made me see things differently and I'm..."

Katie suddenly bounded down the stairs. "Oh, I'm sorry did I interrupt something, I just really need to pee, please tell me noone in there."

"Noone is in there," Keith said.

Katie put her hand on the door, then she looked at Keith again. "No, you're not Lance," she laughed and opened it.

Amelia started laughing. "Oh my God, I can so see him doing that to people," she said. "I'm sorry Keith, you're right, I'll just talk to Sven."

Keith nodded and they started the walk back outside, they found where the table had been moved too, Keith felt guilty that he'd missed it but he knew Lance wouldn't wait for him. He sat down and realized Lance wasn't there. He was about to ask Sven where he was but Amelia and he were walking away from the table. Guess she was going to have that talk right away then, Keith though. He felt movement around him and Pidge was on his right and Hunk on his left.

"We like Lance," Pidge said.

"He can be impulsive," Hunk said.

Keith grinned, thinking of some of Lance's impulses, which started him blushing and he cleared his throat. "I like Lance too," he said to Pidge.

"Be nice to him or when you train me I'll kick you in your penis," Pidge said.

Keith bit his tongue so he wouldn't laugh. He nodded, soberly and seriously. "Yes, Pidge."

Pidge grinned then took off.

Hunk busted out with a guffaw that made Keith's hair move on his shoulder, Keith had laugh a little bit but at the same time he could see Pidge doing it. "He would though wouldn't he?"

"Pidge is hardcore when he has to be, yeah," Hunk said.

Keith nodded. "What is your threat?" he asked.

"I don't have a threat. I like you, Lance has been happy since you two hooked up. He's been calmer, well for Lance. It's a slight change but there is less restlessness going on. I've never seen him like this, it's good. And you seem steady, smart. You won't let him take dumb chances, do anything stupid. Thing is he might not take as many as those with you around. He hasn't since you two hooked up. What I wanted to do was warn you about Griffin."

Keith felt his blood go cold. "We've met."

"Yeah, Griffin, he's always around. He and Lance, they were together not as boyfriends or anything but for awhile. Did Lance tell you about the, the time..."

"Yeah," Keith said, thinking about the time Lance almost lost his whole Garrison career as a pilot before it started, because he would've been arrested if Riff hadn't stopped it. All because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. "He told me. He thinks he's going to end up living there. I hate it."

"Me too. Why I wanted to warn you. Griffin, he means well. I, uh, I think he's love with Lance. It's the way he looks at him when Lance isn't looking."

"I know. He pretty much told me, without telling me..." Keith grimaced. "I hate him."

"Lance likes him."

Keith sighed. "I know."

Hunk nodded. "Look I just want you to know, Griffin isn't a threat but he's a screw up, we need to keep an eye on things if Lance ends up over there. Now my stomach is roaring for some food, and it's ready to go, grab a plate and go get what you want," Hunk said as he stood up.

Keith stood up, he scanned the area looking for Lance and found him by the bonfire, standing looking up at the sky. He looked gorgeous, the fire glowing behind him, lighting him up with orange-glowing aura, Keith felt his mouth go dry and he walked over to him and slipped his fingers against Lance's own.

"Stars are gorgeous tonight," Lance said.

Keith looked up and there was a blanket of a million stars above them, Lance was right the sight was beautiful. "Yes, they are."

"I want be up there, right now. I wish I had my own fighter, that I could just go out whenever I wanted to. Just like when I get urge to ride the Kessel, you know? I'd grab you and we could fly."

"I'd like that," Keith said. "Hunk said the food is ready, to grab a plate."

"Hunk has a plate?" Lance said. "Crap, we have to go before there is no food left!" he laughed and pulled Keith with him as he took off toward the grills.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

"Sven?" Amelia said and Sven realized her voice was louder than it'd been a moment ago, then he realized he'd been ignoring her to his complete horror. He wasn't even looking at her, his eyes were on Lance and Keith as they walked off toward the food from the bonfire. Lance's words about gutting him if he hurt Keith rolling around in Sven's head. He'd never, did people really say things like? He would, he knew he would but someone else, could anyone else understand the intensity of emotion that welled inside and how important loyalty was?

He and Lance McClain were nothing alike, yet Lance had looked him in the eye and told him he saw the same shining light in Keith. He'd asked Sven to hurt him if he hurt Keith, to follow through with the threat... It was what a friend did, make the threat, it was what happened. Sven understood as some unspoken social rule, especially for the special people in ones life. But that... Sven felt as if he'd met someone else special, someone else who had - not a light like Keith's but something special about him that made him an equal. Lance McClain was Keith's equal.

"Huh?" Sven said.

"Sven!" Amelia's voice shouted this time and she hit him in the arm.

He'd forgotten her again, he felt more horrified. Here he was thinking about special people, and love and loyalty and he was ignoring the most beautiful woman he'd laid eyes on. He turned toward her and smiled sheepishly. "I am sorry, Amelia, please forgive me. I was thinking about Lance McClain."

Amelia grinned and raised an eyebrow at him. "Sven, are you falling for the McClain charm?"

Sven shuddered, and he must have made quite a face because Amelia started laughing at him. "Why were you thinking about Lance?" she asked.

Sven shook his head. "No, no, you asked me to walk over here for privacy, to talk about something and I ended up ignoring you. I'm sorry, it's more important for you to tell me what you wanted to say," Sven said, hoping he could make up for his mistake. He hoped he could salvage what he may have screwed up, he hoped he hadn't ruined a moment by not noticing he had it. Dumb, he was so dumb about girls.

The laughing smile on Amelia's face fell instantly and she looked down, she toed at the sand with her big toe, having slipped off her sandals at some point. From the lights from the house and the bonfire, Sven watched her purple toe nail poke in and out of the sand a few times, before he looked back up at her face and caught her gaze.

"What is it, Amelia, is something wrong?"

"Not wrong, it's just...How much do you like me, Sven? Someone, a friend, of mine, not yours, but she's insightful...she told me you're in love with me and I... Are you?" Amelia stammered at first but then blurted it all out, then it looked as if she was holding her breathe, her blue eyes looked terrified as she waited for Sven to answer.

Sven swallowed, he had lump the size of a watermelon in his throat, he was sure of it, he couldn't breath. Only he was breathing, he felt shaky and thought maybe his knees might buckle but he cursed himself inwardly and stayed standing. "I do think, I love you, Amelia," he admitted looking her right in the eye.

~~.~~

Griffin stayed in the shadows, off in the darkness that surrounded the light of the little house. All the Garrets, at least two of Katie's sisters, plus Keith, someone else who had to be from the Garrison Academy with a blonde, who also carried herself like a soldier. Warriors for the future, Griffin thought the base at the back of his skull tingling. Telling him if he wanted too, if he focused, if he cleared his head he could have vision now.

Awake and clear headed. Like anyone would want to do that, Griffin though, only Riff would do such a thing he thought, crazy woman, wishing she had his gift. Gift, he huffed out a breath and he pulled out his flask and downed half it's contents in one fiery swallow of 100 proof grain alcohol.

He pinned his eyes on the man he'd come to see. Lance. He felt like a stalker, but waking up to that damn message that he'd written in some sleep-walking haze, it'd shaken Griffin. He didn't like to be shaken by what he saw. Not at all, hated it, made him feel unsteady, more unsteady than any drug, or any alcohol ever could. Lance was laughing, he was being joined by the other dark-haired solider with his blonde companion. They sat on the same side as him and Keith, across from them was a bigger guy, and kid.

The image stabbed at Griffin, the five of them with a long haired blonde, it wrapped around his skull and it pierced the skin at his temple like a knife, stabbing his brain causing pain and he drank down the rest of his bootleg whiskey before the vision-memory manifested. He wasn't here for that nebulous future. He was here about the now, about checking on Lance, on making sure that damn pretty boy Asian kid was worthy.

They were eating, they were drinking cheap beer, and all of them were laughing. Lance was touching Keith, a hand was always on him. Keith was doing the same, Griffin watched and he felt his heart pound and it felt like wanted leave his chest. Lance was a kid too, he tried to tell himself. A kid, a damn kid he let pick him up because he hot. He was funny, and had a reckless streak. He liked fast things and good sex.

Griffin wasn't supposed to make up patterns in his freckles, he wasn't supposed to tell him a hard and fast truth the night they met and have it end up a lie a month after their first fuck. He wasn't supposed to dream about him as often as he saw visions of him in some sad bleak future where Lance's smile seemed to be the only bright light.

Griffin padded down his pockets for his cigarettes, he pulled one out and lit. He kept watching Lance, the length of his neck, the height of his cheekbones, he could only hear his laugh drifting through the air.

He knew he was safe for now he'd stifled his paranoia. He could leave now, if he didn't he was a fucking stalker. Griffin sighed, he didn't leave, he watched.

~~.~~

Lance grabbed his beer, his stomach was full despite having left a piece of chicken smothered in Hunk's dad's famous blue ribbon winning barbecue sauce on his plate. Keith who had taken very little when they'd gone to get food was eyeing it however. Lance moved the plate in front of him. "I'm full, have it."

Keith grinned at him and took the chicken wing and devoured it, Lance watched with fascination as Keith bit into the meat and a glob of the sauce slid down Keith's chin and stayed there unbeknownst to Keith, who as he swallowed picked up a water bottle and swallowed down a gulp. "Thanks, that was just what I needed to fill me up."

"Fill you up!" Hunk yelled. "Well, hope not too full. There is still dessert!"

Lance grinned as Keith's gave him his wide eyed look, that made him look young and innocent, it was doubly so with barbecue sauce on his chin. "We'll have time to let the food we just eat settle, it's S'mores around the bonfire."

"Oh," Keith said.

Lance leaned forward, which made the space between him and Keith absolute zero and he shifted his position on the bench, so he was straddling it, facing Keith. Keith twisted toward him and he looked into his eyes, silently waiting to see what Lance was up to now. He cupped Keith's face, his hand on the side that was free of sauce. "You have sauce on your chin," he whispered.

Keith started to go for the napkin he had on his lap, but Lance shook his head and pushed his face back toward him, making Keith twist back so he was facing Lance more than anyone else. "No napkin needed," Lance said.

"But.." Keith started to argue.

Lance's mouth pressed against Keith's chin in an open mouthed kiss, his tongue swept out and he licked up the sauce, and pressed a few more kisses and a few more licks against Keith's chin and jaw and then his mouth. All to make sure he got all of the sauce off his face, as he pulled away from Keith's mouth a few minutes later, he smirked.

"Did you get it all," Keith asked, blushing a bit, his head shaking back and forth but he was smiling.

"No, don't think so. Will have to do a full body check, later I think," Lance said. "Hunk, you're sleeping in the den!" he yelled.

"Yeah, no problem, already figured that."

Keith moved closer to Lance and put his head down on his shoulder. "Must you embarrass me in public?"

"If you weren't so hot when your are... Maybe not?" Lance laughed.

Keith grabbed onto Lance's shirt collar and roughly pulled him closer, Lance felt the wind go out of him for second, Keith's mouth hung teasingly at his own, their lips grazing against each others and then Keith moved to whisper in his ear. "Gonna get you back for it."

Hard as rock, Lance stared at Keith, shook his head, then nodded his head and made a decision. "Already did. My turn again," Lance said. He stood up, dragging Keith with him and loudly announced. "We're going to go take a cold shower, together, which may just defeat it's purpose. See you all in about an hour."

Lance quickly then took off, hand locked in Keith's before Keith could process or really respond to what he said, because he had ever attention of following through on what he just said. They hurried up the stairs, through the kitchen and straight into the upstairs bathroom which Lance locked behind him. It was then he turned and faced Keith.

Keith shoved him, Lance hit the door and was surprised when it didn't break against his weight but he had not time to ponder it. Keith was stripping of his shorts, then he fell to his knees. Lance groaned as Keith's mouth swallowed the tip of his dick. "Fuck, yes," Lance muttered, hands going into Keith's hair.

Keith's grip always bordered on being too much, to strong, to heavy handed but it never was. It held the threat though and that turned on Lance, as much as his tongue, his lips and the absolute suction of his throat as he went down and then swallowed up. The grip of his other hand on Lance's hip was too heavy, pressing, pushing and Lance thrust his hips anyway, towards Keith's mouth, thrusting in and Keith swallowed down, hands pressing against Keith's sclap, hands twisting his hair. Keith's hand was bruising the skin of his hip, possibly his hip bone - he didn't know if that was possible - he didn't care. Keith didn't care that Lance was fucking his face either, it was what Keith wanted.

"Yes, yes, swallow me, baby, God. You're so good, so good. Are you sure you aren't some secret cocksucking professional, cause god, Keith... oh, fuck, so fucking good. You're tongue, oh Jesus Christ!"

Keith moved off Lance's dick, stopping the rhythm, ruining the suction and stopping Lance moments before he might of come and Lance groaned. Keith ripped off his shirt, stood up and pushed the sleeve into Lance's mouth. "You just can never shut up, Hunk's parents are in the kitchen and you're loud!"

Lance winked, he wasn't ashamed, he didn't think he knew how to be. Keith shook his head, looking completely serious before he kissed Lance's jawline, down his neck, pushed up his shirt to under his armpits, this kissed his way down the treasure trail below Lance's bellybutton on his pale, freckled flat stomach. Lance moaned, groaned and managed to say, "Fuck," anyway and beg, with his hands and his hips for Keith to get to it and wrap his mouth around his dick again. Eventually, Keith seemed to tire of his treasure trail, and licked his balls, licked his shaft and swallowed him down - it took seconds for Lance to come down Keith's throat.

Lance spit out the shirt, grinned, pushed Keith further into the bathroom, opened a drawer and pulled out a condom. "My tongue's turn, then I'm fucking you against the shower wall."

Keith dropped his shorts and nodded.

~~.~~

He was kissing her. He was kissing Amelia. He, Sven was kissing Amelia.

She tasted like great barbecue, and S'mores, she smelled like fire and strawberries, he thought the strawberries must be the scent of her shampoo. She was kissing him back, she'd opened her mouth to his, allowed his tongue entrance. Sven felt like he was in a dream, he had never thought...

He really thought his chance with her had flitted by. Over and done, he'd only have her friendship and a rare smile from time to time, and her bizarre interest in his best friends love life.

He had to breathe, Sven hated oxygen now and forever. He broke away from her mouth, slowly and unwillingly, he tucked a stray hair of hers behind her ear. He felt the watermelon return to his mouth that had settled there when she asked him if he was in love her on the beach outside Lance McClain's house.

"I had fun tonight," Amelia said, looking at him with a smile, one he'd never seen before. He wanted to memorize it but thought she might think him staring at her for hours to do so strange.

"I too," he said feeling an idiot. "I..."

She put her fingers against his mouth. "Shh, we're together now, just enjoy it, Sven." She opened the door to her dormroom behind her and walked inside backward, then turned and closed to the door.

Together now. He didn't know how this had happened, he didn't know what friend of hers had told her about their take on his feelings, but he was amazed. He'd thought when he admitted he thought he loved her. He did, oh he loved her. She would turn him down. But she said she'd like to see where they could go, then kissed him on the cheek, took his hand and walked them to the table. She'd held his hand all through dinner. Made it hard to eat, but it'd been worth it.

She'd allowed him to kiss her and...

_We're together now..._

"Wow." Sven turned and walked back to his dorm, happy to know it would be empty. Keith had asked for clothes, he was spending another night at Lance's place. Wouldn't be back until tomorrow, weekdays it wouldn't be smart to spend at his boyfriends. Sven shook his head, thinking about Keith and Lance, they were like two people on a honeymoon all night. Touching, kissing, flirting, running off to have sex...

Sven really hoped he'd never have to gut Lance McClain.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

Keith woke up to sound. It wasn't loud but it was constant. A constant scratching noise that pulled him from sleep, made him lift his head from where he was comfortably snuggled in against Lance's shoulder to seek it out. He couldn't see a thing at first, his eyes were half closed, he had to blink and focus. The sound was further away than he thought but close, in the room. He didn't want to move more, he might wake up Lance. The room only had a beam of weak sunlight coming in through the window, it had to be early, too early to get up on a Sunday morning.

Scratch, scratch... Keith sighed, he had to know, he lifted his head up more. Lance made a sleepy noise of dissatisfaction, the arm that was around Keith's waist tightened. Keith couldn't stop the smile, Keith couldn't help but think he'd never thought he'd be such a snuggly sleeper. He was such a loner, he liked his space so much in life. But he never felt he was close enough to Lance. Ever. He was smiling rather widely when his eyes found the source of the soft scratching.

Pidge, with colored chalk, standing on Hunk's empty bed drawing on the wall beside the bed. Drawing what looked to be The Starry Night by Van Gogh. Keith stared at the sight for a good five minutes, trying to process it, as he watched the young genius in barely any light continue to manipulate chalk against a wall to recreate a masterpiece on a wall that was in a completely different scale than the painting.

A second before he was about to drop back down to remain awed burrowed against Lance's skin, Pidge turned to him and grinned a toothy boyish grin. "Morning!"

Keith nodded not quite capable of speech. Lance moved underneath him, mumbling in a low grumble. "Pidge it is not morning yet."

"Sun is up."

Lance rose up a bit, his gaze latching onto Keith's with a second with a cocky smirk that spoke of their late night activities. "The clock says it is not even six am that is not... is that Van Gogh?"

"Yep," Pidge said as he kept going.

Lance stared at the wall. "Uh, Pidge...we're supposed to leave this place as we found it, remember?"

Pidge stopped mid-action, when he turned this time Keith felt as if the room had dropped a few thousand degrees, he felt actual fear and it startled him more than anything. Pidge was precocious, he was unsettling and he was cute. He wasn't supposed to be fearsome.

"We aren't moving," Pidge gritted out through clenched teeth, glaring at Lance before he turned back to his work of wall art.

Lance slumped back down onto the bed, the hand that wasn't around Keith's waist rose up and covered his eyes. Keith followed him back down onto the bed, silent but awake. He didn't know what to say to that. In fact he wanted to agree with Pidge. He wanted to move in here and keep Lance here.

Keep them all here. Because what happened if they moved was...

"Not you too," Lance whispered and Keith moved his eyes from looking at Lance's stubbly jaw line to his eyes and saw the resigned expression there.

Keith shook his head. "Is wrong to want you to keep this?" he moved his hands around to encompass the room and beyond - the whole house, Hunk, his family, Pidge. He cut his eyes to the kid, creating away.

Lance let out a frustrated sound, closed his eyes, his arm tightening around Keith. "Have to face reality, baby..." he said, his voice low so Pidge wouldn't hear. "I don't want to hurt the kid, I'll prove to him that where I sleep means nothing about how I..." Lance's voice broke a bit. "think about him, you know? Him or Hunk, but it's... I'm going end up with Griffin's... I'm sorry about that? I know you don't like that...you trust me, right?" his green-brown eyes met Keith's dark blue.

"Of course," Keith said, but his heart was hammering. He leaned forward, forgetting Pidge was in the room, kissing Lance's jawline. Enjoying the drag of his tongue across the stubble. "It's him I don't trust. I see the way he looks at you," he whispered out between kisses.

"He doesn't do this..." Lance moved Keith's hand to his cock, half-hard and growing under Keith's touch under the covers "...to me, baby...God, Keith," he groaned, loud, much to loud forgetting their company.

There was a cough. Keith felt his body temperature flare up to over hundred degrees, well over, Lance already had him that high...What the hell had he started with a kid in the room? There was a second cough...

"I think the chalk dust is starting to get to me...going to go get fresh air..." Pidge said, they heard the door open but it didn't close right away. "Uh... should I warn Hunk?"

Lance laughed, burying his face into Keith's shoulder, into his hair mostly in truth. "Yeah, Squirt, warn Hunk about the chalk dust, will ya?"

"Right, right..." the door closed.

"He's almost got that down...somewhat, at least this time he didn't say coitus."

Keith kept his eyes shut, let his forehead find Lance's and willed himself to forget Pidge and focus on all the perfect naked skin covering perfect naked muscle that was in his arms. When he opened his eyes, he found Lance smiling at him that damn knowing grin and Lance's hand moved to the hand that was still on Lance's penis. Urging Keith with the slightest of pressure to move his palm.

"Kiss me, Keith," he ordered.

Keith obeyed.

~~.~~

Hunk sat with his parents in the kitchen, frowning as he went over bank statements with them... Finding out how long they could keep house with his brother and Katie's rent money was turning out to be even a worse conversation than he'd thought it be.

"Tsuyoshi, I'm sorry we wish we could help you out more, but this place just is too expensive for just the three of you. If we lived closer we'd take you all in ourselves... if you and Lance wouldn't feel too uncool to move in with parents."

Hunk shook his head. "Dad, nah... you wouldn't cramp our styles. Well...maybe Lance's a bit...but then again he's pretty settled down now."

Sora Garrett smiled. "I like that Keith Kogane boy, he looks like he'll be good for Lance...unlike others have been," she frowned. "Where is he thinking of going?"

Hunk frowned, he didn't want to tell them. "He doesn't have a lot of options."

Callen slammed a fist down on the table. "Well, I ain't done talking to the Academy officials. This ban on him and the dorms was an unfair punishment in the first place. He needs a safe place to be. If we must we'll bring up actions!"

"Callen, we can't bring up any real actions on Lance's behalf..." Sora calmly reminded him, her hand on his arm, calming her husband.

"Damn it that boy is as much part of our family as... all our other boys. He just looks more irish like me... Bet he knows a few people who could make up a fake adoption..."

"Callen!"

"Dad!"

Hunk was part taken aback, and impressed by his father's passion. His mother looked take aback and a bit disappointed in her husband however. "Breaking the law is not going to help anything, besides he over the legal age and has been since we met him. Maybe we should try contacting his mother again..."

"Fat lot of good that would do, she's not strong like you Sora. Not that I think her husband would listen if she told him he's an asshole homophobic douchebag."

"Dad!"

Sora just shook her head that time.

Hunk drank his orange juice thinking his dad's temper had at least gotten them way off subject and they were off the subject of where Lance was going to go when they had to give up the house... Sooner than expected after the wedding. Hunk had no idea how he was going to tell Pidge, he'd have to do it with Lance. They were both were responsible for the kid, he frowned putting down his glass, feeling for once in his life the glass was half empty. He was supposed to be the glass half full kind of guy.

"Hunk, you didn't tell us," Callen said. "Where is he going?"

Hunk looked up, met his parent's faces, and damn it he didn't want to answer.

"Griffin's," Pidge said, walking into the kitchen, grabbing himself a lemonade from the fridge and then sitting next to Sora. "He's going to that weird guy Griffin's place. It's his only viable offer, he and Keith were just discussing it. They thought I couldn't hear, but I can hear better than Terrans, people never remember or haven't bothered to learn that."

Callen and Sora shared a look that Hunk could only call worried. Pidge worried him more though, he sounded kind of distant and weird as he gave the facts about where Lance was planning to go. The status quo had been barking that nothing was going to change, that they'd be here forever and huge denial that he planned to keep... Hunk didn't like the idea of any admittance he knew what was up in this weird way.

"You okay Pidge?"

"I was in the middle of something but I had to leave the bedroom...and they were talking about Lance leaving here. No."

Hunk looked at his mom, he didn't know what to do in the face of well, the truth.

"Did they ask you to leave?"

"They started coitus forgetting I was there - they're what I believe is called lovestruck or something like that. Only seeing each other. I decided leaving was the best action."

Hunk turned red.

Sora and Callen Garrett laughed.

Pidge frowned. "Why do people laugh when I say coitus?" he asked Hunk.

~~.~~

Amelia almost closed her door the second she opened it. "You should be here, what if Sven sees you, he lives on this floor!"

"Sven is in a class right now, Amelia...don't you know your lover's schedule?" Fargate said, roughly pushing past her and walking into her dorm room. He glanced around it, then saw down on her bed, patted the spot next to him. "Come on over. Let's talk."

Amelia shut the door and locked it, her heart pounding, her stomach churning, she felt as if she could throw up any second in truth. She crossed her arms over her chest, stepped backward so she was against her doorway and stared him down. "What do you want?"

"Information."

"I don't have any."

"You. Don't. Have. Any?" Fargate repeated slowly after a long pause. "You. Don't. Have. Any?" he asked again. "What the fuck am I blackmailing you for then, Amelia?"

"I just started seeing Sven. I spent one day with the three of them. Sven barely knows Lance. I don't..." she felt like the room was spinning, what had he expected her to get for him so fast.

Fargate wasn't on her bed anymore, he was at the door, his hand on her throat, shoving her against the door. His other grabbing and taking her arms, easily pinning them over her head. "Get me dirt on McClain. I don't care how innocuous you think it is. Anything. I want his schedule. I want the names of his exes. I want to know when he goes to the bathroom. When he goes to bed. I want to know if he sneaks into this dorm again to be with Kogane... The Poster Boy for our class by the way - Garrison would hate to know that McClain was sullying him don't you think?"

She couldn't breathe, she couldn't single him with anything but her damn body. She wanted to kill him but she couldn't because there was that bitch Stella, as evil and cruel as him. She kicked out with her legs, tried to knee him.

Fargate let go of her, laughing. "Come on Amelia, don't push me, or that vid of you all pretty, naked and slutty goes viral, remember. Do you understand?"

She nodded.

"Say it, Amie, sweetie..." he laughed.

Amelia nearly dry heaved... he'd called her that in highschool, the ass. "Fine, damn it Fargate. I understand. You want to know if he gets a damn pimple."

He touched her cheek then, caressing it. "That's my good girl." He kissed her cheek, unlocked the door and left. "I'll be back next Monday. That gives you a week...better have a hell of a lot of intel."


End file.
